Destiny
by AnimeAngelRiku
Summary: No one else is looking at the boy, but he is, because for some strange reason, he feels intrigued by him. Maybe no one even acknowledges his existence, like Yami hadn't until today.  YamixYugi, Puzzleshipping, rating may go up.
1. Chapter 1

_(A/N: Hey, everybody, it's me again! I'm so sorry I haven't published anything, my laptop died along with ALL of my fics, and that's a very sad story because now I have to start from zero. Until we get my baby fixed. But until that happens, I bring you this! A YamixYugi story I thought of while my DA and Gmail little sister and I were talkign about clichés. You can never go wrong with those, I always say. Anyway, I doubt I'll update later on -cuz it's almost 5 in the frigging morning and I gotta go to bed-, so HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYBODY! Please enjoy and review!_

_WARNINGS: The chapters will be really short. Helps me to get them done sooner. Yami might be a tad OOC. Please notify me if you think he is. If not, please tell me what you think of him and his behavior towards Yugi! :3 Also, I have no beta-reader, so if you see any grammar mistakes/confusions, please notify me as well. Oh, and there's bound to be fluff. SHAMELESS PUZZLESHIPPING FLUFF. I warned you._

_Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh! It'd be really gay if I did.)_

* * *

**Chapter 1**

The first time Yami sees him, they're on school, and the little one is bent over his desk, covering something. What he's trying so hard to cover, Yami can't see, but what he _does_ see is the little one's pencil moving from side to side, back and forth.

_Is he drawing? Is he writing something? Doodling, scribbling, perhaps?_ Yami wonders. No one else is looking at the boy, but he is, because for some strange reason, he feels intrigued by him. Yami knows pretty much _everyone_ at this school… except for this boy. Actually, he'd never even _seen_ this boy before today—not since the school year started! Had he always been there? He couldn't be a transfer student; those were the ones who got the most attention.

And maybe _that_ is why he's suddenly so drawn to him. Nobody seems to be paying him any attention. Maybe no one even acknowledges his existence, like Yami hadn't until today. But now, for that same reason, he wants to find out everything about the little one, hiding whatever he's doing (along with himself) from the rest of the world.

First, Yami has to find out—or figure out, whichever comes first—his name.

* * *

It's been a week since he saw him, and he still hasn't found/figured out the boy's name (and unfortunately, he's too afraid to ask the kid himself). He's asked everyone, but he always gets the same answer. "Sorry, never spoken to him." "I don't know him." "Who are you talking about?" (That one last gets him pretty angry, but he thinks he kind of has no right, since he was on that same boat just a week ago.)

And one day, maybe due to a coincidence, Yami bumps into the mysterious little one on the hallway, on his way to Chemistry.

He immediately helps the boy to his feet after a few apologies from the two of them, picking up both their books, and he feels like the words get suddenly stuck on his throat when he stares into those deep, beautiful amethyst eyes that lie in the middle of that gorgeous, angelical face. He realizes for the first time the boy is smaller than him, if only for a bit. Not like he could've guessed that by only seeing the kid when he was sitting down.

And he also realizes he might just have developed a crush on a guy he just met. He doesn't mind as much as he thought he would.

"H-h-hi!" he stutters nervously, handing the books that aren't his back. God, this is embarrassing. Yami? _Stuttering?_ How low has he fallen by just looking at those _eyes?_

"Hi," the little one says shyly, clutching his books to his chest. "Uh, I'm really sorry about that. I didn't see where I was going."

"No, no! I-it was totally my fault there," Yami insists, trying hard not to blush. "I didn't see you, actually."

"Most people don't," he hears the boy say to himself, staring at the ground. But he doesn't press on for fear of being too direct.

"Er, my name is Yami!" He holds out a hand that trembles slightly, and he prays the little one doesn't notice, which he apparently doesn't, because he shakes his hand without care.

"I'm Yugi," he says as they take their hands back. "Are you a senior? I'd never seen you before."

Yami, strangely, feels a wave of relief flooding him. "No, I-I'm a junior. We have History together, as a matter of fact."

"Really?" Yugi demands, surprised. Yami thinks it's really not his fault. He's way too busy covering whatever the heck he does with his pencil. But Yami's thankful he hasn't noticed him staring at him, either. "I'm so stupid, I hadn't noticed…" Yami, however, notices Yugi's talking mostly to himself—and he's lowered his head—again.

"Oh, don't worry! I-I really hadn't seen you until last week, to begin with." He finishes in a small whisper, ashamed of himself a little bit. Yugi doesn't seem to mind, but he says nothing. Just smiles a cute tiny smile that damn nearly forces Yami's heart to grow little wings and flutter inside his chest.

The ring bells in a flash, and the halls start getting empty. "Well, I have to go," Yugi whispers, and Yami stares at him in confusion. Has his company been that bad? Yugi apparently senses what Yami's thinking and quickly adds, "You know, to class?"

Yami feels like slapping himself. He's never been such an idiot before. Of course, he's never had a crush on such a _cute_ guy before! So he forgives himself. Maybe. A little. "Oh. Oh! Yeah, you're right, I… I gotta go, too!" he babbles incoherently.

"Okay," the boy smiles, waving once at Yami. "I'll see you later?"

_He said he'd see me later!_ Yami is absolutely sure he has some sort of 'mini-me' jumping and dancing around on his head, and he prays the heat on his face isn't enough to form a blush. "Sure! Of course, I'll see you later. It was really nice to meet you!" he almost squeals (thank God he got a hold of his voice), holding out his hand again.

Even though Yugi shakes it the same way he did before, Yami's still glad his hand didn't tremble this time. "Same here. I mean, it was really nice to meet you, too." Yami feels this kid's just too adorable for his own good. _He babbles incoherently like me!_ He perfectly visualizes his mini-me floating with wee hearts around him (and in his eyes as well).

It's not until he's facing Yugi's back a few feet away from him that he calls out, "Will you mind terribly if I invited you for a slushie after school? Say, at around 4 o'clock, maybe?" When Yugi doesn't respond and just stays there, Yami's afraid. What if he was too direct? What if it was too soon? What if he was perfectly stupid?

But then Yugi turns back and Yami swears those amethyst eyes are burning holes into his crimson ones. And he's smiling, on top of that! He obviously doesn't realize that such a cute, tiny small melts Yami into a pool of goo!

"I'd love to," Yugi answers, waving again as he exclaims, "See you after school!" Then he runs off to his next class.

It's only until Yugi's no longer in his line of view that Yami dares to jump around and throw his arms into the air victoriously. Maybe that's not what this is, but Yami, nonetheless, is going to think about this as their first date. And screw whoever thinks he's being way too shallow to have a crush on a guy he met a week ago and just talked to today!

As he notices his hands on his hips, Yami prays to God he didn't say that aloud before running off to Chemistry, hoping to come up with a good enough explanation for getting late. If that explanation doesn't involve 'getting a date with the cutest guy ever', he's not so sure he can come up with one.

* * *

_(A/N: Thoughts? Please tell me what you think! It's been so long since I published something, I'm afraid I might've rotten or something! D: And again, HAPPY NEW YEAR!)_


	2. Chapter 2

_(A/N: Oh. My. GOODNESS. You guys are just _so awesome_, did you know that? Thank you so much for all the positive feedback! I'm so truly grateful for all your lovely reviews and the favorites and the alerts! THANK YOU! I'm glad you guys are enjoying the lovesick!Yami we got here! And I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks he's so adorable. :3 Oh Gaga, this is my first update of 2011! HOW COOL IS THAT? Haha, sorry, got carried away a little. :D__ Anyway, hope you also enjoy this second chapter! I'm off to work on the 3rd right now! ... Okay, actually, I'm off to bed. xD_

WARNINGS: Same as the first chapter. Remember: if you don't like Yami -and think he's way too OOC- please notify me. If you see any grammar mistakes/confusions, please notify me. If you just love how it all turned out, please review! :D Or even if you hated it all, please review! Criticism makes me better and helps me improve in my writing!  
  
_Disclaimer:__ Sadly, Yu-Gi-Oh! doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Kazuki Takahashi. Anyone ever wonder how he'd react with all the fics we write using his characters?)_**  


* * *

Chapter 2**

The first time they officially hang out together as friends, they're on a nice ice cream shop, each one of them eating a double cone. Since the slushies after class were an amazing opportunity to get them to know each other, Yami decided to invite Yugi to their unofficial second date (in Yami's eyes, of course) a couple days later at his favorite ice cream shop, and he was more than delighted when the little one accepted.

Yugi says a stupid joke—one of those jokes that are so horribly bad, they crack you up every time—and Yami finds himself having trouble to breathe. Not so much because of the joke, but because Yugi's laugh is just so beautiful and irresistible that it makes Yami laugh even harder. As a result, Yugi laughs a lot more, and it's like a vicious cycle they enjoy too much to break.

"So, Yugi," Yami says when he can finally breathe normally again. "Tell me a little more about yourself." He knows a lot about Yugi already from their time with the slushies: the boy moved to this city two years ago and began attending Yami's high school since then, even though they'd never even caught a glimpse of the other before. His father is a toy maker while his mother is a lawyer, both very successful. Yugi's likings include sports, some magazines, toys (because his father makes the best and greatest), painting, dancing (especially any kind of slow-dancing), and music. His music tastes go from hip-hop to jazz to classic to rock to pop to soundtracks.

Yugi scoffs cutely. "How much more do you want me to tell you?" he demands with a playful look on his amethyst (gorgeous) eyes. "I already said everything I'm going to say for a while!" He keeps eating his strawberry-vanilla ice cream to make his point clear.

"Aw, that's not fair!" Yami remarks, but Yugi apparently has stopped listening to him, for he bites into his double cone as if he were alone. "Yugi, don't be like that!" Yami pleads. Yugi's still by himself, and although Yami knows it's all a silly game, he's never liked to lose. "Okay, what do I have to do for you to see me again?"

"Your ice cream's melting!" Yugi sing-songs, rolling his eyes.

"That's not the point! Don't evade the answer, you little fiend!" Yami jokingly points at him with a crooked finger, almost like a villain from a cartoon. Nonetheless, he knows Yugi's right, his ice cream is _indeed_ melting, and he can't have melted chocolate-pistachio ice cream staining his clothes, can he? Certainly not in front of such pleasant company!

"Fine, fine!" Yugi laughs, and Yami swear he sees his 'mini-me' floating around his head. The little one places an elbow on the table and rests his chin on his palm. "_You_ tell me about yourself."

Yami crosses his legs with a kind of triumphant smile on his face. "What do you want to know?"

"Anything," Yugi says with a shrug. "I felt like I was the center of attention when we went out for slushies, and I really don't want you to get tired of me this soon."

_Psh, as if _that_ could happen!_ _I intended for you to be the center of attention! _Yami thinks, but keeps his thoughts to himself. Truth to be told, he didn't say anything about _him_ over the slushies, so Yugi has the right to ask him this. "All right, then," he starts, scratching his chin. "I've lived here all my life, which is both cool and boring sometimes. My dad is sort of like a poet, and my mom is a musician."

"Really?" the boy interrupts, intrigued by this new discovery. "Is she famous? Does she play somewhere? What's her kind of music?"

"Whoa, slow down there, buddy!" Yami holds up his free hand, taking a bite out of his double cone. "Mom's not famous yet, sadly. But she'll be one day. I'm sure of it!" he laughs, making Yugi's disappointment turn into a smile. Yami has trouble remembering the rest of the boy's questions. "Erm, well, she plays at a coffee shop with some friends on Fridays and Saturdays. And she prefers to play jazz. Sometimes, Dad gives her one of his poems and she composes music for it. They've made quite a few ballads together."

"Does she play her ballads on the coffee shop?" Yugi asks, finishing the last bit of the strawberry ice cream ball.

"Occasionally, yeah," Yami answers, eating the last of his chocolate ice cream. "She doesn't for most of the time, though." Yugi nods, allowing the information to sink in. After a long pause in which they almost finish their double cones, he finally says.

"Your family sounds nice."

"They are," Yami agrees quietly as he does his biggest effort not to get lost in Yugi's angelical face. It would be terribly creepy if the little one caught him staring at him, especially if they've only been friends for slightly longer than a couple of hours. But he knows he has to focus on something else other than his family at the moment, or he's probably going to end up bursting into shameful tears to the guy he has a crush on. That would most certainly not favor his situation.

But he doesn't notice that _Yugi_ _notices_ his mood has changed. Because, for one, Yugi's not stupid, or naïve. He can sometimes get distracted easily, but he pays close attention to what surrounds him. When Yami finishes talking about his family and mutters that quiet "they are", Yugi knows that there's something Yami's hiding from him. Still, he doesn't ponder much on the matter. Yugi's got his own secrets, so it's only fair he allows Yami his secrets, too.

"I have to get going," Yugi says suddenly, looking at the watch on his right wrist. He stands up, biting the last of his double cone. "I promised Dad that I'd help him today, so I should probably leave." Yami's focus immediately comes back to the boy in front of him, and the words at the tip of his tongue come out before he even has the time to think them thoroughly.

"Do you need a ride?"

Yugi's feet stay rooted to the floor, and he glances at Yami as if the other one were crazy. Yami actually looks a little scared now. What if he went too far? He highly doubts it, though. Even if he and Yugi are barely friends, it's okay to simply offer him a ride home, isn't it?

"No, that's fine, thank you," he hears Yugi mumble. He tries hard not to be so disappointed, but he just can't help it. Maybe he _did_ go too far, and now Yugi will hate him and never want to talk to him again and he might have lost the only chance he had at getting the guy he has a crush on to fall in love with him and—"I brought my car, so there's no need for you to give me a ride."

Oh.

_Oh._

Yami has the enormous desire to smack himself. He did _not_ start thinking like a lovesick little girl back there. Nope. He didn't. Not at all. And he really wishes Yugi would stop _smiling_ like that because it only makes it harder for Yami to convince himself that he's _not_ a lovesick little girl because of the frigging 'mini-me' doing acrobatics inside his head!

"I might need to take up that offer someday, though," Yugi adds, swinging the strap of his backpack into his left shoulder. He gives Yami a small wave of the hand (with a cute little smile, oh my _gosh, this guy is just so sweet!_) and makes a move for the exit of the ice cream shop.

"Good luck with your dad today!" Yami waves at Yugi's retreating figure. "Fill me in on the details tomorrow?"

"You got it!" Yugi yells back. Once he's already out, he salutes Yami with two fingers through the glass walls before running to his car.

* * *

"_You got it," he said,_ Yami thinks when he's all by himself back home. He lies on his back on the bed and stares at the ceiling with his hands crossed behind his head. _It wasn't "sure" or "of course." He said "you got it." _All right, now he's truly having a hard time convincing himself he's not a lovesick little girl. And who knows, maybe he's starting to take a liking to those acrobatics 'mini-me' does inside his brain. Before falling asleep tonight, Yami considers going to the dentist tomorrow, and the reason has nothing to do with the chocolate-pistachio double cone he had earlier today.  


* * *

_(A/N: You can't deny it, you're just _loving_ the 'mini-me', right? RIGHT? Please tell me you do. D: I might be going mad, oh Gaga...) _


	3. Chapter 3

_(A/N: You know why I'm uploading so soon? BECAUSE YOU GUYS ARE THE AWESOMENESS. You all rock. Seriously, you do. Thank you SO MUCH for your epic reviews, people! I love you all. -hugs everybody here- So here you have more of Yugi and lovesick!Yami. Because they're epic win. :D_

_WARNINGS: Puzzleshipping fluff. SHAMELESS FLUFF. You've been warned. Lovesick!Yami and 'mini-me', who keeps appearing because I just adore that little guy._

_Disclaimer: No matter how much I wish I did, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Otherwise, it'd be called 'The Gay Adventures of Yugi Mutou'... I think... just ignore me and enjoy, please! :D)_**  


* * *

Chapter 3**

The first time Yugi says that Yami is his best friend is also the first time Yugi invites Yami over to his house. They've been friends for more than a few weeks now, and the little one's invite was so adorable (and Yami's deeply thankful he's been learning to control the moments when 'mini-me' appears) that Yami immediately said yes. Well, his exact words were more like "sure, count me in!" After they play a bit of _Mario Kart Wii_ and Yami beats Yugi in chess, Yugi teaches him how to play a game he's recently found on internet called "If You Absolutely Had to Choose." It's pretty simple: you come up with scenarios in which you have two choices, and you _must_ choose one. But Yami either doesn't get it or he's doing it on purpose to make Yugi laugh.

"Let's try one more time," Yugi says between muffled giggles as they both sit down on Yugi's carpeted floor. "Would you rather fall in love with someone at first sight, or fall in love with someone after getting to know them?"

"That's not fair!" Yami yells, almost indignantly. He hears 'mini-me' inside his head, screaming, _I fell in love with you at first sight and I'm falling even more for you after getting to know you! How am I supposed to choose only one? _But luckily, since Yami has gained some control over his little imaginary self, he stops himself from speaking those words, and then he pictures a wall in front of 'mini-me'. 'Mini-me' crashes into the wall when he tries to jump in front of Yami. Yami smiles to himself before remembering he still hasn't given an answer. "That's a very hard question, you know!"

"Come on, just pick one!" Yugi cries happily.

Yami lets out a 'hmph!' sound that makes Yugi giggle sweetly. "Fine, fine," he groans. "If I had to choose, I'd say…" Not wanting to waste the opportunity, he throws his arms into the air and shouts, "I'd say both!"

"NO!" Yugi exclaims, bursting into fits of laughter. He falls back to the floor, holding his stomach. "You're a cheater! You can't choose both, I already told you!"

_Well, yes, but you didn't tell me you were going to give me a question where I'd actually like to choose both!_ Yami thinks in his defense, but he still laughs and plays along.

Suddenly, a strong voice booms through the living room downstairs. "Yugi, are you home, son?"

Yugi's face lights up. "I'm up in my room, Dad!" he cries, standing up and rushing to the doorframe. Yami hears footsteps on the stairs, and it's not even ten seconds before Yugi steps apart and lets his father in. Yugi's dad is so much different than Yami expected. He has golden curly locks and gentle green eyes, and his face shows nothing but love and compassion, even if he's got some wrinkles here and there. He lets out a little breathe when Yugi pulls him into a crushing embrace.

"I thought you weren't coming home until tonight!"

"Well," his father says, chuckling to himself, "I got the toys done sooner than I thought, and, as you can see, here I am now."

"I'm so happy!" Yugi muses excitedly. "Oh, Dad, I want you to meet someone." The boy pulls away from his father's arms and holds out a hand to Yami to help him get up. Yami tries not to blush as his own fingers brush Yugi's and then clutch them tightly to get to his feet. He let goes as soon as he's steady. "Yami, this is my father, Aristos Mutou. Dad, this is my best friend, Yami."

Yami is absolutely sure 'mini-me' is at the moment spinning around his head, and there's honestly nothing he can do to stop it. _I. Am. His. BEST FRIEND, _he thinks, feeling the heat on his cheeks expanding to the rest of his face. He begs and prays there's no blush showing, because he's doomed as it is without it. _I'M HIS BEST FRIEND! _His little self is starting to float along with the wee hearts again, and it makes Yami very tempted to imagine another wall. But his brain is still caught on the 'Oh-my-gosh-I'm-his-best-friend!' part to even picture a brick.

He shakes Aristos's hand, trying not to look too nervous. "Nice to meet you, sir. I'm Yami Atemu."

"Aristos Mutou," Yugi's dad say, shaking Yami's hand once before letting it fall. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, son. I'm glad that Yugi has finally brought you home! We've heard so much about you; Yugi here always has something new to tell us related to you."

"Daddy!" Yugi shrieks, blushing visibly. He only calls his father 'daddy' when he's embarrassed. And he really, _really_ is right now. "I'm sure that's not something Yami has to know." But Aristos is not finished yet. He begins rambling on and on and on about all the wonders he and his wife have heard of Yami, and he's utterly satisfied at the expression his son's best friend has once he's finished. Yami, on the other hand, realizes that it must be impossible to fall even more for the same person so many times because this _cannot_ possibly be happening!

"Well, your mother will be home soon, so I'll make dinner," Aristos ends, stepping towards the door. He quickly turns to Yami. "You staying for dinner, son?" Yami is about to scream that he'd love to, but remembers he must be back home by the time dinner is ready with his family or his father will be pretty angry. He looks at the clock, nearly fainting when he sees his 'curfew' is approaching.

"Thanks for the generous offer, sir, but I actually have to get back myself or I'll be in trouble." He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, trying to convey that although he'd like nothing more than to stay for dinner, he really has no choice. Aristos seems to understand, for he nods respectfully at Yami and turns to Yugi.

"Yugi, I got a call from Anzu today at work. She said she's already received the material you asked her for."

Yugi's eyes and smiling lips are one step away from jumping out of his face and his cheeks are around three seconds from turning crimson permanently. The amethyst hue gleams with such strength that Yami's 'mini-me' seems to vanish in the act. Who is this Anzu girl? A co-worker of his father's? A relative? An old friend? An ex-girlfriend? An _actual_ girlfriend? No, no, she can't be an actual girlfriend. B-because Yugi would've told him if he had a girlfriend, right? Because Yami's his best friend, right? All of a sudden, Yami feels a very deep sadness overtaking his insides, and he can't believe he was such a fool. How could he think that Yugi was not taken? Yugi is _obviously_ taken. He's cute, and charming, and so sweet that he makes Yami want to go to the dentist, and adorable, and smart, and patient, and funny, and so, _so_ beautiful. And even if he _isn't_ taken, Yami doesn't know if Yugi's gay to begin with. As a matter of fact (and to sum it up), Yami simply has a leap of faith.

He thanks Yugi for the amazing time, gives him a quick hug that is enough to get his heart racing (accompanied by a loud squeal from 'mini-me'), walks down the stairs, says his goodbye and thanks to Aristos Mutou, and steps out of the house.

Yugi accompanies him to the door. "Thanks for coming, Yami," he says with a smile. Yami has no trouble at all in smiling back, even though these exchanged gestures might never mean anything more than smiles between two best friends. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Sure thing," Yami says quietly. The question he wants to ask is on the tip of his tongue, so he decides to just go with it and deal the consequences later. "Erm, if I-I can ask… that Anzu girl your father mentioned… is she s-someone close to you?"

Yugi blinks in surprise for a minute, but then he chuckles. "Yeah! And she's not a girl, she's like, a grown-up woman. She's in college now, I think. Anzu lives down a few blocks, and she used to babysit me when I was a kid. At the moment, she's also got a part-time job helping my father with work."

Yami's happiness is shown on a grin so big it could easily be compared to the Cheshire Cat's. "Oh!" he breathes. "That's great! And if I can ask, what's that material you asked for?"

It's Yugi's turn to grin wickedly. "I might tell you someday." Yami lets out a chuckle of his own.

"You know what? Maybe next time," he says, "I could invite you over for dinner."

"That'd be amazing," Yugi answers as he leans on the doorframe, his grin changing to that smile Yami loves to see on his face. "And you know what?" Yami raises an eyebrow questioningly. "Maybe when that happens, you could give me a ride."

Yami is _absolutely_ sure this kid is flirting with him; because even as he's closing the door after both have said their goodbyes, Yugi's right eye twitches as though he wants to wink. What guy winks at his best _guy_ friend? Perhaps at their, er, girl friends, yes. But never at their guy friends, not even when it's a best friend.

Once he's facing a closed door, he wonders if maybe, just maybe, his conversations have been too flirty. He wonders if maybe, just maybe, Yugi realized that but doesn't mind, since he's (most likely) begun to flirt, too.

One thing is for sure: Yami is definitely okay with that. And 'mini-me' is too, considering he's back to doing acrobatics, this time including an outfit that reads: "I LOVE YUGI!"

* * *

_(A/N: Oh, COME ON, like you didn't see _that_ one coming! Cuz I know you did! :D)_


	4. Chapter 4

_(A/N: Hello! It's me again! :D I probably should've had this yesterday, but you see, I have some sort of viral infection killing my throat, so I've been in bed for most part of yesterday and today. Now that I got some meds to knock me out on my sleep, I decided to bring you next chapter! Yay! 8D I really hope you like it. I think it's the sweetest yet :3 And guys, seriously, I don't think there's any way I can ever show you how thankful I am for your incredible support! I'm truly grateful! Thank you so much!_

WARNINGS: 'Mini-me'. As far as I know, EVERYONE loves him._ And that's amazingly cool! He loves you too, guys! Maybe lovesick!Yami, depending on how you look at it. PUZZLESHIPPING -SHAMELESS- FLUFF. I warned you! Erm... I think that's about it. Please notify me for any complaints you might have, regarding a way too OOC Yami or any grammar mistake, typo, etc._

_Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! doesn't belong to me. Soon, though, SOON! Now please enjoy! :D)_**  


* * *

Chapter 4**

The first time Yami gives Yugi a ride, it's pouring outside. In the morning, the weather forecast predicted heavy rain after sunset, but when Yami looked outside his window, he knew the rain would probably hit sooner. He has never trusted a TV forecast over the gray (and almost black) clouds in the sky. Just in case, he decided to take an umbrella so as not to take any chances. His house is so close to school that he doesn't need to take his car; he walks instead.

Yugi, unfortunately, doesn't have that kind of luck.

His house is a lot farther from school than Yami's, but not far enough to actually use his car. Instead, he walks to the bus stop nearest to his home, the bus drops him close to school, and he walks the rest of the way. In any other situation, he would've taken his umbrella as well, but he woke up late and completely forgot it until he was already getting on the bus, praying that the forecast was right.

Both best friends meet at the end of the day, just outside the school's doors. (Thankfully, the roof covers the few steps from the pavement to the entrance, so they don't get wet.) The two of them groan at the pouring rain.

"I _hate_ the weather forecast," mutters Yugi under his breath as they walk down the stairs. He clears his throat and mockingly imitates the voice of the old man of the weather: "'No heavy rain is expected until after sunset.' Then what do you call this, old man!" he snaps bitterly.

"Come on, it's not that bad," Yami says, about to open his umbrella, but he immediately regrets his words when a lightning breaks through the gray sky, followed by a loud thunder that almost deafens him. Yugi raises a questioning eyebrow at him. "Okay, it _is_ that bad." Yami stares at the boy, then at Yugi's sides, and then at his face.

"What?" the little one demands.

"Where's your umbrella?"

"Oh, probably back home," he sighs in defeat.

"Wait, you didn't bring one?"

"How clearer do you want me to be?" Yugi replies angrily. "I woke up late, had to practically run out, and I forgot my umbrella."

"And you plan to walk all the way to the bus stop with this rain?" Yami questions, mouth slightly open. 'Mini-me' interrupts whatever he's going to say next: his wee eyes are exaggeratedly huge and his hands are wiggling at his sides while he screams, _BUT YOU'RE GOING TO GET SICK! AND THEN YOU'LL MISS SCHOOL AND I WON'T SEE YOU! AND THEN WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITHOUT YOU HERE?_ To avoid making a fool out of himself by talking without thinking first, he imagines a zipper shutting 'mini me's mouth. _Now that's more like it, _he thinks as his little self futilely attempts to open the now locked zipper.

"It's not really that much," Yugi says, holding out his arm into the rain. He pulls it back after four seconds to find the long sleeve of his puffy, comfy sweater thoroughly soaked. "All right, maybe it is."

"I'm not letting you walk under this phenomenon of nature," Yami interferes.

"Oh, really? How am I going to get home? Do you have a better idea?" Just as Yami wants to say he could go with Yugi so that his umbrella shelters them both, 'mini-me' somehow gets rid of the zipper shutting his mouth and screams: _YES! I DO! I could give you my umbrella so that you don't get wet, run to my house, get my car, and give you a ride home!_

And this time, for his misery, he actually listens to his little self. "Actually, I do."

Yugi glances at him with disbelief. "You do?"

_Oh, crap!_ Yami curses mentally, biting his lip. Well, now that he's said it, he supposes there's no other way than to keep going until the end. He hands Yugi his umbrella. "Just stay on the edge of the pavement, okay? Don't go to the bus stop. I'll be right back!"

"Whoa, whoa, wait," Yugi stops him by gripping his shoulder. "You're not seriously going to run to your house without—"

"I'll be fine!" Yami insists, and before Yugi can stop him again, he pulls off his backpack, holds it over his head, and runs off.  


* * *

Yugi cannot possibly believe he allowed Yami to run away without his umbrella. The idiot's going to get sick! He sighs, tightening his grip on the shelter Yami left him. The boy blushes slightly, thinking that it was really nice of Yami to risk his health over him. And while he's thinking this, he can't help but wonder if someone like his best friend could possibly like him more than… well… like more than a best friend. He ponders on the fact that Yami looked worried when his father mentioned Anzu that one time he stayed over, and how he asked who she was. He seemed terribly relieved when Yugi confessed she was just an old friend.

Yugi definitely likes Yami. Likes him more than a best friend. But that doesn't mean Yami likes him back, even though he wishes he knew how Yami truly felt about him. Their hanging out, their exchanged smiles, their flirty conversations… what does all that mean?

His thoughts are interrupted by the honk of a car right before him. The driver's window slowly rolls down to reveal a smirking Yami, whose hair is still dripping wet, soaking his clothes. "Need a ride?" he asks smugly, completely ignoring the fact that he's making a showoff out of himself in front of the rest of their schoolmates. Yugi can't help but laugh out loud as he walks around the front of the car and gets in the passenger's seat.

"I honestly can't believe you!" he nearly yells after Yami starts driving down the street. "You ran home under the pouring rain to get your car to give me a ride to _my_ house?"

"You could say that," Yami happily agrees, winking at Yugi as he adds, "Now you owe me one."

"I bet you just wanted to show-off, didn't you?"

"That was definitely part of the plan," Yami confesses, making Yugi laugh again. God, how he loves that laugh… "And come on, I mean, the length I ran wasn't even that long." Yugi, once more, raises a questioning eyebrow, which only makes Yami shrug. "And no, I'm _not_ telling you how much I ran."

"You whacko," Yugi says, leaning on his palm as he looks out the window. But from the corner of his eyes, Yami catches a glimpse of a pink blush that takes over the boy's cheeks. And that's so totally worth the cold and fever he's probably going to have tomorrow morning.  


* * *

At night, as he lies on his bed, facedown, sketching a three-dimensional purple lilac on his favorite sketchbook, Yugi's thoughts race back to Yami and all the troubles that guy went through to make sure Yugi didn't have to walk in the rain. His heart starts beating faster when he remembers Yami winking at him on the passenger seat. Yugi then promises himself that someday soon, he's going to tell Yami his feelings for him. Whether Yami returns those feelings or not… well, that's something he'd rather not think about for the time being.

He looks over at his desk (where he put the material Anzu brought him), and the boy smiles to no one in particular, already imagining how beautiful his purple lilac—his 'first love'—will look once he's done with it.  


* * *

_(A/N: I found on internet that a purple lilac means 'first love'. I was going for a _belladonna lily_, which is very pretty, but it meant 'silence' or something like that. Too bad. Oh, by the way, next chapter includes some... er, how should I say this... some smexy action between our two love-birds. Don't jump to conclusions, you pervs! Stay tuned for the next chapter! Please review! Thanks!) _


	5. Chapter 5

_(A/N: SO SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT, GUYS. D: I sure hope this chapter is worth all the time it took me to get it done. It's almost twice than the other chapters, but so much NEEDED to happen in here that I couldn't cut it any more than I did. Next chapter hopefully won't take as long -and probably won't be as long, either-. In another note, I've been listening to all of the discography of _Three Days Grace_, and they're SO awesome. I also got _The Lost Hero_! I read it online the week it came out, but I JUST got it and I'm SO excited! Bought the graphic novel of _The Lightning Thief_ along with _The Gift, a Witch and Wizard novel _by James Patterson. Can't wait to read that one!_

_ANYWAY, going back to the chapter, there's this one scene that was HEAVILY inspired by the seventh episode of _Glee_'s second season, _"The Substitute"_, and also by chapter 8 __of _"Dalton"_, a majestic _Glee_ fanfic by CP Coulter_._ The chapter is titled _"Temperature"_. If you're a Gleek, you'll know what scene I'm talking about -and you'll also know the fanfic!-, so for specifically that scene, I give credit both to Ryan Murphy and CP Coulter!  
_  
_WARNINGS: Awkwardness, shirtless Yami, sick Yami -not that much lovesick since he's... well... sick-, epic 'mini-me'_, _embarrassed Yugi, PUZZLESHIPPING -SHAMELESS- FLUFF. As always, please notify me if you see any grammar slips -be it typos or tense confusions- or if you think Yami's a little too OOC. Thank you! And please enjoy and review! And also as always, thank you all so much for your amazing support! I love you all, I swear!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! -Kazuki Takahashi-, Glee -Ryan Murphy- or the epicness that is "Dalton" -CP Coulter-. Still, hope you enjoy! _

* * *

**Chapter 5**

The first time Yugi comes over to Yami's house, in fact, isn't to have dinner with him and his family, but to take care of his very sick best friend. When Yami wasn't in History class, Yugi began to think that the older boy fell sick. After running God knows how much under the rain yesterday, it only seemed normal. Yugi felt terribly guilty that he was the cause his best friend was now ill and probably in bed with a fever.

When school ends, he calls Yami's house, and he hears the kind voice of a woman answering, "Hello?"

"Ah, good afternoon, Mrs. Atemu; it's Yugi, Yami's friend," he says. Although he's never personally met Yami's parents (and vice versa), his best friend has reported that they'd like to soon. "I was just calling to know how he is."

"Oh, Yugi!" Yami's mom exclaims happily. "He… well, he's very sick," she muses. "Oh, will you please hold on for a second, Yugi?" The boy hears Mrs. Atemu's voice drifting off, as if she were talking to someone else. "It's your friend Yugi, dear… But sweetheart, I don't think… Are you absolutely sure?" Yugi listens to the woman sighing in defeat. "Yami would like to talk to you, Yugi, if that's okay with you."

"Of course!" Yugi replies, maybe too quickly, but he doesn't really bring himself to care. He thanks Mrs. Atemu as she hands the phone over to her son.

"Hello, Yugi?" Yami's voice comes out muffled and stuffed.

"Hey, how are you doing?" Yugi asks with a little smile.

Yami sniffles. "I've been a lot better."

"See, this is what happens when you run under the rain without an umbrella."

"Shut up, you little demon!" Yami cries, making Yugi laugh by the way it sounds. "If it hadn't been for me, you'd be like _this_ right now! So you owe me big time!" The boy nods to himself, and although to anybody else Yami might sound angry, Yugi knows he's not. In fact, he can picture his best friend smiling at him through the phone. "How was school?"

"Boring, as usual," the little one says. "There was nothing or no one to brighten up my day." He decides to be a little more daring and adds, "I… I really missed you in History." Yami can swear up and down to God above that his racing heart is threatening to burst out of his chest. He doesn't know if the heat he's feeling right now is due to his fever or to the burning flush on his cheeks.

On the other hand, 'mini-me' is spinning not only around Yami's head but around the entire _bedroom_ as well, crying out, _HE MISSED ME! HE MISSED ME! THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY, HE MISSED ME!_ And even though it makes Yami extremely dizzy—considering that he has a massive headache and it's a little difficult for him to keep his body steady even when lying down—he has no complaints. "I missed you, too," Yami confesses, deciding to blame anything stupid (or too bold) he might say on his fever. "No one to talk to but myself."

"But…" Yugi's slightly confused. "Isn't your mom there with you?"

"My mom just acts like my nurse before she has to go off to work," Yami answers, blowing his nose on a nearby tissue. "She's not very good at conversations, actually. And I got no idea where my father went, so I'm talking with myself."

_You're talking to me! _'mini-me' loudly yells.

_That's the same thing as talking to myself, stupid!_ And this time, Yami pictures a cage falling on 'mini-me', which completely stops him from making Yami dizzy.

_HEEEYYYYYY!_ The little guy whines, shaking the bars of the cage.

"All right, then," Yugi says suddenly, interrupting Yami from torturing his little self even further. "When will your mom leave to work?"

"Um…" Yami calls out Yugi's question, and he hears his mother answering him back. "She says she's on her way out now." He nods at her when Mrs. Atemu's head pops into the doorframe of his room and mouths at him, _I'm going to leave now. Call me if there's anything you need! I love you, my boy!_ Yami mouths back, _Love you too, Mom._

"Is there anyway to get into your house?"

Yami responds the back door is open. "Why do you ask?"

"I'll see you later!"

And the line goes dead.

* * *

Yami falls asleep at some point, and he doesn't know how long he's been out before he hears his house's back door opening. "Yami?" A familiar voice calls him. He's buried in a couple of blankets and covers, but since his body's practically overheated and the collar of his shirt is wet with sweat, he kicks them off himself.

"Dad?" he tries, focusing all of his energy into sitting up, which turns out to be a very hard task. "Is that you?" His voice is groggy and hoarse.

"Not exactly," comes the reply. He's about to actually try to stand up and go see who it is, but he smiles and curls up on his bed when a pair of the most beautiful amethyst eyes he's ever seen appear in his line of vision. "Hey there." Yugi waves at him, a backpack slung over his shoulder, as he stands at the door.

"Hey," Yami waves back weakly. "What are you doing here? What's with the backpack?"

"I come to take care of you!" says Yugi excitedly, swinging his backpack into the bedside table. "In here," he continues, pointing at it, "I bring the ingredients and recipe of my dad's famous chicken soup. It'll help you feel all better, you'll see!"

'Mini-me', still locked on his cage, squeals and seems to float inside the small prison, yelling, _He's going to cook for me! He came to take care of me!_ Yami, even when he's thinking exactly the same, can only smile. "You're going to be my nurse-boy?"

"I guess you could say that," the little one smiles back.

It turns out Yugi is an excellent nurse-boy, as Yami calls him. The chicken soup he prepares is absolutely delightful, and the minute Yami finishes devouring it, Yugi has him lying down again so that he can carefully place a wet cloth to his forehead to decrease the fever. When Yami shyly admits his throat hurts a little (the truth is his throat is _burning_, but he doesn't want to cause Yugi more problems), Yugi makes some sort of hot tea using honey, water, and a tad of lemon, bringing it to his sick friend in a cup. While the boy puts his things away on his backpack, Yami sees a very small bottle of ointment that Yugi took out when he was looking for his dad's recipe.

"What's that for?" he asks out of curiosity.

"Oh, well," Yugi begins, "I brought it in case the cloth wasn't enough to lower your fever. But since it was, I'm just going to put it away now." He takes the tiny bottle and is about to put it inside his backpack when Yami carefully takes his wrist.

"What if my fever returns when the cloth dries? Can I at least try it?" Yami urges in his muffled and stuffed voice. He looks longingly at Yugi, hoping that Yugi sees 'mini-me's puppy eyes through his own crimson ones.

Yugi lets out a sigh in defeat. "Oh, very well. I owe you one, after all. But there's… um… a teeny tiny problem." His sick best friend blinks at him, slightly confused at the sight of Yugi blushing right up to his ears. He raises an eyebrow, demanding an answer. "You, ah… have to… er…" The boy clears his throat and rushes out the rest of his answer: "_You have to take your shirt off and lay facedown_."

It takes a good few seconds for Yami to understand what Yugi just said. It takes another good few seconds for the information to actually sink in his head. "Oh," he muses, feeling his face heating up even more. "Um, o-okay," he stutters before carefully taking off his shirt. Then, just as carefully, he lies facedown, crossing his arms on his pillow; he leans his forehead on them afterwards. Yugi—still blushing (and now also looking away in slight embarrassment)—applies a little of the ointment on his palms. Once he's done it, he kneels on the edge of the mattress with one knee while leaving his leg on the floor for support and softly starts to rub it on Yami's back after warning him, "It's a bit cold, so it might sting for a couple of seconds."

Yami flinches when the cool medication makes contact with his burning skin. But he immediately relaxes, attempting to focus his thoughts solely on how good Yugi's hands feel as they massage his stiff back and shoulders. His state of calmness is such that he completely forgets about 'mini-me', and he doesn't even hear him when the little guy gleefully screams, _OH MY GOODNESS, I MUST BE DREAMING! THIS IS TOO PERFECT TO BE TRUE! NOBODY WAKE ME, PLEASE!_ Yugi, on the other hand, starts to sense the awkwardness vanishing, and his hands keep spreading the ointment across Yami's back like the hands of Yugi's mom did when he was sick. He would always feel a lot better, and ever since he was a kid, Yugi called it his 'magic ointment.' He just hoped it'd make Yami feel better with its magic, too.

After probably the ten most calm and relaxing minutes of both their lives, the little one quietly announces that he's done. Yami lifts his head, having nearly fallen asleep. He takes his shirt and puts it back on. "Thanks for doing that," he whispers almost groggily. "I'm already feeling better than the past few hours."

"I'm glad," Yugi answers, his blush having mostly faded. He drags the chair from Yami's desk to right beside the bed. "Now you should probably catch some sleep. And just to make sure that you'll be fine, I'm going to stay until your parents come back, okay?" Yami nods and thanks him again, his heart racing a thousand miles per hour at the mere thought of having Yugi watch over him like the angel he is.

"You're the best nurse-boy ever," he says with a very big, very content smile. "I'll recommend you to my parents and relatives."

"It's good to know that nursery as a career option is still a go." Yugi laughs, bringing a giggle to his best friend's mouth. Yami then closes his eyes. And much to the boy's surprise, he falls asleep in a flash. Yugi smiles kindly at himself and softly caresses Yami's hair, keeping some of his bangs away from his forehead. Before he can stop himself, Yugi leans in and kisses the top of his best friend's head. "Sweet dreams, Yami," he whispers. Then he starts humming what his mom used to when he was little.

Yami's mother comes home a couple of hours later to find a strange boy watching over her son as he sleeps. The boy introduces himself as Yugi, and Mrs. Atemu recognizes him as the boy Yami is always speaking of. She's pleased to meet the one her son loves. And although he hasn't confessed it to her yet, a mother knows when a child of hers is deeply in love. She thanks Yugi for taking care of Yami while she and her husband were away. The boy shakes her hand a last time before leaving, hoping that Yami gets better soon. Before she herself leaves her son to rest, Mrs. Atemu kisses Yami's forehead goodnight and pulls the blankets on the floor over him.

What neither Mrs. Atemu nor Yugi ever realized was that Yami never feel asleep to begin with. Up to now, he's utterly awake, and his lips form the happiest smile he's ever had. The last thought swirling on his mind before actually entering the realm of his dreams is also his happiest one ever: _He likes me. He really likes me back.  


* * *

(A/N: I wanted to squirm 'mini-me' in there, but I just loved the ending too much as it was. HOW SWEET WAS IT? :D)_


	6. Chapter 6

_(A/N: I'd written a lot more than this, but as I saved this edit, the frigging page totally logged me out and I had to log in again, losing all the epicness I'd written up here. _

_WARNINGS: NO Yami and NO 'mini-me' this chapter. SO SORRY, folks. They'll come back next chapter._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Sadly. Please enjoy!)  
_

* * *

**Chapter 6**

The first time Yugi gets nervous about the idea of talking to his mother is when he's about to confess to her that he's gay and that he's in love with his best friend. Yugi's never nervous to talk to his mom—about _anything_ at all. He tells her absolutely everything and she's always willing to listen to her baby boy. And even if Yugi doesn't tell her the whole thing, mother understands. She doesn't need too many words to put two and two together. She's a successful lawyer, after all.

His dad's away when he knocks at his parents' room. His mom's sitting on the bed, leaning back against the wall, her legs stretched in front of her (crossed at the ankles), reading something out of a couple of folders around her. Amelia Mutou looks up and smiles at her son. "Come in, dear!" she calls.

"Hey, Mom," he answers politely. The one thing he loves about his mom: she's never, _ever_, too busy to have a little chat with her only child. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, just doing some reading on this new case I've gotten myself into," she says, taking a small look at the paper in her left hand. With her right, Amelia pats the spot beside her, and Yugi approaches that same spot and sits next to his mother. "You can have my full attention if you want it, though." She shoots him one of those 'don't-worry-everything-will-be-perfectly-fine' smiles that always make her innocent clients sure that she's going to save them.

"Um, it's not absolutely necessary for you to stop focusing on what you're doing," Yugi says. But this is where he starts to get nervous. "I just need to, ah… m-make a confession."

His mom looks a bit more serious now. "Don't tell me you're going to legally need me, Yugi."

Well, at least this kind of tones down his nerves, and he manages to let out a small chuckle. "No, Mom, I haven't committed any crime. I don't need a lawyer."

Amelia goes back to her relaxed demeanor. "Very good! Then what is it, dear?"

"D-do you think we could wait until Dad comes home? I-I kinda need him to be here, too," Yugi stutters. His mother's starting to get slightly scared. What could be so important that Yugi needs both of them?

"Your father's not coming home until later, dear," Amelia responds as sweetly as she can. "Honey, is everything okay?"

"Yes, Mom, it's just—"

"Yugi," his mom interrupts him. Yugi knows that _she knows _something's bothering him. She regularly calls him with affectionate names like 'honey' or 'dear' or 'sweetie'—because that's just how she is—but when she calls him by his name, she means business. "What's wrong? If it's so important, why don't you tell me? I could talk to your father about it when he comes home."

"I-I'd really like him to be here—"

"Sweetie, if you've got troubles at school, it's okay—"

"What? No! No, it-it's not anything like that!" Yugi doesn't want to make a huge deal out of this, and he definitely doesn't want to trouble his mother. The one bad thing about her is that Yugi can't ever know when her patience will pop. She's so good at hiding her impatience that he never has the slightest idea of how long it'll last.

But he has a bad feeling that it's not going to last for much longer.

He knows he has to make a move soon or the bomb will be dropped on the top of his head.

When his mother starts talking again, Yugi knows it's his chance. "Dear, I honestly can't imagine what's so terribly important that you can't—"

"I'm gay."

The room goes eerily silent.

Yugi's eyes are snapped shut. He doesn't want to see whatever expression Amelia has now. He doesn't want to see the disgust, the shock, or the disappointment, because he feels like that's what his mother's face reflects even though he can't—doesn't want to—see it. The silence goes on for almost an eternity and his mother still hasn't said anything. Yugi doesn't even know what to think: is she going to kick him out? Is she going to tell him that he can be 'fixed', that this is just a phase, that everything will be okay once it's over? Is she just going to stop talking to him for the rest of his life?

After another good five minutes without Amelia uttering a word, Yugi opens his eyes and stares at her with fearful eyes. He's a little relieved when she doesn't seem to be disgusted or disappointed. Strangely, though, she doesn't seem to be… in shock. Heck, she doesn't seem to be _surprised_ at all, and Yugi's more confused than he's ever been. Maybe she didn't hear his confession. Maybe he can pretend this never happened and make up some lame confession about something else.

But his mother nods at him, like she wants him to go on.

"I-I'm gay," he repeats in a tiny voice, afraid of the worst.

Amelia, again, nods. "Yes, dear."

"Mom," Yugi begins, a little angry that his mother's just making this harder for him. Does she want to make sure she heard right or something? "Mom, I'm gay."

To his frustration, his mom repeats the answer. "Yes, dear." When Yugi just looks at her, open-mouthed, she blinks as though she's realizing something hugely important. "Oh! Is that… that's your confession, sweetie?"

"Yes!" he does nothing but yell, throwing his arms into the air before lowering them to his head. "Wh-what else do you want me to say? I'm gay, Mom! Okay? I'm gay! It's not a phase I'm going through; I'm _not_ going to get into any sort of medical treatment to see if I 'get better'! This is who I am!" And he tries to breathe through his nose, no matter how badly he wants to gasp because he feels like he's suffocating.

He never imagined coming out would be this hard.

"Honey," Amelia says, putting down the files she's been holding. "Did you think you'd get in trouble for that, that we would want to 'fix' you?"

"I-I…" Yugi's crying now. He's wiping his eyes with his hands in pure pent-up feelings. "I honestly d-didn't know what t-to think…" he mumbles under his breath.

"Oh, Yugi," his mom says, suddenly wrapping her arms around him. Yugi doesn't know where this is going, but he immediately embraces his mother back, burying his face into her chest and sobbing like a maniac, all and hiccups. "Dear, your father and I will both always love you," she whispers, rubbing his back soothingly. "We don't care if you're straight or gay or whatever. You're our son, and nothing—" Amelia cups her son's face in her hands and looks straight at his eyes—"_nothing_ will make us stop loving you or love you any less than we do."

And that's when Yugi completely snaps. He starts by telling his mother how worried he was that she and his father wouldn't accept it, that they'd disown him or something a lot worse. Amelia doesn't say anything—she just listens and whispers sweet nothings into his ear, kissing his forehead. Then Aristos comes home, and he's slightly confused to find his son in such a state, but his wife and child explain the entire situation, to which he answers like Amelia: they will always love Yugi for who he is, not _what_ he is. They confess that they aren't surprised—they had kind of guessed it a long time ago and were waiting for Yugi to trust them enough to tell them, for which they're both terribly grateful.

They're even less surprised when Yugi also confesses the object of his love is his best friend. Amelia says, "A mother knows, Yugi. From all the things you tell us about him, we would be surprised if it were someone else."

He's never been more relieved in his life. He thanks both his mother and father for being the most amazing parents in the entire world. Yugi's about to leave to his own room to keep working on a project he'd like to give Yami when he finally tells him his true feelings for the older boy, but Aristos calls him back into the room.

"I know we already discussed this when you were 12," he starts, "but I think we need to _talk._"

Yugi groans—_loudly_. He was sort of hoping they'd just skip this part. Hearing "the talk" when he was 12 about how he was going to start finding girls attractive (which never happened, anyway) and how he had to be careful was _torture_. When he realized he was gay, he thought that at least he didn't have to worry about getting a girl pregnant. But if that talk was such a punishment, he can't even start to wonder how horrible _this_ "talk" will be.

He sits down on the edge of his parents' bed and listens to them, blushing as if he were again his 12-year-old self.

* * *

_(A/N: Dang it. Yugi's got it coming hard. XD What did you think about it?)_


	7. Chapter 7

_(A/N: I have a confession to make. This chapter is totally different from what I originally planned, but I liked it a thousand times better now. I'm truly terribly sorry for the long wait! I've been working on a small story for a contest and with school beginning this week, I hadn't had the time to work on this -which reminds me that I still have to work on my Klaine fic-. HOWEVER, here it is now! And don't worry, the entire situation and all the mystery that goes on in this will be explained in a further chapter. Maybe next, maybe not. Haven't decided that yet...  
_

_WARNINGS: A bit of angst. I made my DA sis cry -totally unintentional!-, so I thought it'd be fair to warn you. Slightly angst!Yami. 'Mini-me', sadly, only appears at the end of the chapter, and it's more like a cameo than an actual appearance. Almost no dialogue, nearly the entire episode is narration. Hopefully, it won't be a bother to you. Please notify me for any OOC-ness, complaints, or suggestions you have! If you catch a grammar typo, please notify me as well._

_Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is not mine. Unfortunately. Oh, and by the way, thanks to all of you for your lovely reviews and amazing support! And no, I haven't had "the talk", and I hope I never do! XD)  
_

* * *

**Chapter 7**

The first time Yami composes a piano tune of his own is also the first time for two of what he thinks will be very special moments in his life—one, it's the first time he's playing the piano ever since… since _the accident_. His heart cringes at the thought. Yeah, it might be a special moment, but it doesn't mean 'special' in a good way; not necessarily. Yami decides to focus on the second special moment he's about to go through and which only makes him a little less nervous: coming out to his mother.

He has the slightest suspicion his mom knows that he's not attracted to girls. Not that he's ever really said "I don't like girls!" out loud or anything, but he might've made her suspect with all he rambles about Yugi. If his mother knows, she hasn't said anything to trouble Yami. Then again, she might not know. Yami sighs loudly to himself. His father's away with an aunt who suggested he makes a book of poems, and he went with her to discuss what could be done about it. His mother's at the study, a room especially for the piano. At least, _now_ it's especially for the piano. Some few years ago, it was the room of…

Yami shakes his head. It's better for his thoughts if he doesn't remember that.

He knocks on the opened door and steps into the room. "Mom? Do you have a second?"

His mother stops playing and turns to her son. "Oh, Yami—of course, what is it?"

"Are you composing something?"

"Not really," she answers, shaking her head. Yami actually knows his dear mom wasn't composing anything new; the soft tune she was playing just a second ago was the last tune she composed for… before the… Of course he would know why she's playing it today—why she plays it this very day every year. He just wants her to think he's forgotten that tune. It makes it easier for her to believe her family has moved on. But at least, Yami hasn't, and he feels his father hasn't either. Maybe they never will. The doctors and therapists told them that it might take a while before they could, and yet Yami believes they'll never truly be able to do so.

"Did you need something, son?"

Yami nods. "I… I was wondering… if perhaps I could… y'know… compose a tune?" he asks timidly.

Chiyoko Atemu's eyes widen slightly in surprise. It's definitely been a while since her son played the piano. But she just can't say no to Yami—he always loved to play it with her and his… The pianist grabs a hold of her head, painful memories flooding back in a rush. She needs to get away from this room, only for a moment, to regain her posture. "Of course, sweetheart," she tells her worried son, whose sad expression fell even more when she held her head. Chiyoko stands up from the bench and walks away, leaving it all to Yami.

Yami stares at his mother's retreating back while she closes the door behind her. She tries to never show it, but he and his dad can see that this room brings Chiyoko many memories she'd rather forget. At the same time, though, it'd be even more painful for her to forget them, so Mrs. Atemu lives with the sorrow of a room that once belonged to an 8-year-old.

Yami sits on the piano bench, making himself comfortable, which is harder than he expected. It's been what, 6 years since the last time he played this thing? Since the last time he sat here? Yes, that's just about right. To him and his family it's felt like an eternity. Yami doesn't know if he can even play the piano now, after so long, and for once, he'd love to hear 'mini-me' cheering for him, _You can do it! It's easy! All you have to do is put your fingers on the keys, and they do the rest by themselves! Come on!_ But the little fellow is as silent as the room around him. He carefully leans his fingers over the keys, cautiously enough not to actually play them. He closes his eyes, and remembers what brought him here to begin with.

Yugi, although he hasn't realized it, has changed Yami in ways the latter never thought of. After… after _the accident_, Yami believed he'd never be able to smile again, that nothing would ever make him happy, that he'd grow and spend the rest of his life alone. Those are the only reasons Yami created 'mini-me': a smaller self that would always remain a child; that would keep alive that part of himself that nearly died when the accident happened. But then he met Yugi, and for the first time, he _was_ like 'mini-me.' It was as if he were on a tunnel where he could see nothing—Yugi was the light that showed him the way out. And Yami wanted to keep that feeling forever—to do so, he had to get over the past.

He breathes loudly twice to steady the wild beatings of his heart. Slowly, he applies pressure to the keys with his fingers… and begins to play. Music fills the air, the dark silence breaking underneath the existence of a beautiful tune: an all-new tune that Yami names '_Lovely light._'

* * *

Chiyoko listens through the door to the breathtaking melody sweeping across the house while tears run down her face. 6 years go, she and her husband Mamoru thought that their then 11-year-old child would never get over the accident that had shaken their family to its core. The boy stopped playing piano—what he enjoyed doing the most, and he began to hide himself from the rest of the world. Mr. and Mrs. Atemu never talked about it with him; it hurt them too much.

Yet there's that same boy, inside that room, playing the most beautiful tune she's ever heard. And Chiyoko knows he's pouring his heart out into it: it perfectly combines joy with woe, cruelty with kindness—death with life in a creation so perfect and powerful that you can't possibly know if your tears are happy or sad.

She suddenly realizes her baby is finally starting to move on. He's grown up and matured without her or Mamoru's noticing, and she's just so proud of her son that she can barely stand it. Chiyoko would step right into the room if it wasn't for the fact that Yami's fingers are still being carried away by what she thinks is the image of a boy that seems to be always present in her son's mind. It doesn't take a lot more than logic and common sense to acknowledge that Yami Atemu is very much deeply in love with Yugi Mutou. And that, whether or not he sees it, that same love is changing him for the better. Chiyoko only wishes Yami trusts her enough to one day officially confess that he'd like his best friend to be more than that.

Mamoru Atemu comes home in silence, hearing the music as soon as he steps through the front door. At first, he thinks it's his wife who's playing, but then he sees her leaning on the door of the study. It doesn't take long before he puts two and two together—the tears don't take long to fall from his eyes, either. Mamoru is so incredibly happy that he quietly hushes Chiyoko and then stealthily opens the door, careful not to make the sound as they make their way towards their son. They know their silence won't last until Yami finished, because now the young pianist is smiling to himself, eyes closed and head slightly thrown back.

It's one of the first times Mr. and Mrs. Atemu have seen real happiness in Yami's face.

Yami's tune comes to an end with a perfect final note. He inhales through his nose and exhales loudly through his mouth as though a painfully heavy burden has been taken off his shoulders. It was more exhausting than he imagined. He has no idea of how long that was, but he feels like he could play it again a thousand times, even if it's very improbable that he memorized it with just playing it once. In a flash, Yami notices his parents are behind him, and their expressions are heartbreaking: gleeful tears marking salty lines on their cheeks. They've never looked better.

Mamoru and Chiyoko embrace their son—Yami tries to hold it together, but it's too much for him. He breaks down, sobbing in a mixture of relief, weariness, shock, disbelief, and joy. The confession he thought about saying is blurry on his head; he has a feeling that his parents already know why (and to whom) he composed that tune.

"I'm sure Yugi will love this," Mamoru mumbles, one arm around his son and one arm around his wife.

"We are so proud of you, sweetie," Chiyoko whispers, kissing Yami's forehead and caressing his hair. Yami simply nods and says little nothings that have absolutely no meaning.

For the first time in the day, 'mini-me's annoying voice is there on his head again. He's sitting on his shoulder, smiling widely. _I knew you could do it,_ he says. _Our parents are not the only ones that are proud of you. Someday, you'll be ready to take me back as part of you. For now, though, I'll always stick around!_ Yami laughs madly to himself without caring if it'll make Mom and Dad think he's lost it. No matter how cruel his life seemed to be during a long time; the sun's smiling upon his garden again, and Yami knows that, for the time being, life couldn't be better.

He's in love—but most importantly, he's begun to move on and get over the past. It'll still be a long shot before he fully recovers, but he truly believes he's finally walking down the right path.  


* * *

_(A/N: Please tell me what you think! I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter! I want to make sure I left the ideas crystal clear! If not, don't be afraid to tell me! Thank you, and see you next time! :D)_


	8. Chapter 8

_(A/N: OH MY GOD IT'S BEEN -LE GASP!- IT'S BEEN A MONTH SINCE I UPDATED THIS. **A MONTH**. I AM SO ASHAMED. IMMA GET UNDER A ROCK AND HIDE TILL I DIE. Oh, wait... I can't do that, cuz then we would have no story. And we don't want that to happen, do we? D: We wanna know what happens with these two! Erm... three, if you count 'mini-me', which I'm sure you do. ANYWAY, I'm so sorry! I'll try to update this more regularly! GOSH, I really mean it! I'm very very deeply sorry!_

_WARNINGS: Angst. You might cry. Hopefully you won't. A bit of Puzzleshipping fluff. There'll be more soon! 'Mini-me' makes two small cameos at the almost end. He'll come back, don't worry! In this chapter, we finally find out what "the accident" in Yami's family really means. Er, if you see any grammar slips I might've made, please let me know. If you find anything too OOC, please notify me as well. Don't be afraid, I don't bite!_

_Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh! In any case, I only own 'mini-me'. Technically, it's Yami's, so I don't really own him. ACK. Without further adding, hope you enjoy and please review!)  
_

* * *

**Chapter 8**

The first time Yugi sees Yami cry, Yami's kneeling in front of a tombstone as Yugi stands behind him, not sure of what to do.

It all started two weeks ago. There was a cloudy sky; and although it hadn't rained, the gray clouds seemed to affect Yami's mood since the first hours of that day. When the crimson-eyed got to school that Monday, his eyes were red and puffy like he'd been crying, and no matter how hard Yugi tried, Yami wouldn't smile. He… actually had never been this way before. What had the weekend done to him?

During the next couple of days, Yugi would call him in the afternoons, just to make sure the other was okay. Yami usually picked up after the second ring—they never talked much. Not anymore. Yugi would ask, "Hey, you doing okay?" and Yami would answer, "Yeah, I'm good." Small chat would follow, but Yugi was afraid that his best friend was slipping away from his grasp.

Then, last week, Yami completely ignored him—inside and outside school. Every time Yugi called out to him, he'd run off or keep walking like no one else existed around him. Most of the time, the boy kept wondering to himself if maybe Yami was having personal troubles; something related to his family, perhaps.

It was in that moment that it clicked on his head… the day they went to that ice cream shop and Yami discussed his parents.

Yugi told him, _"Your family sounds nice."_

But when Yami responded,_ "They are,"_ he looked crestfallen. He seemed like he was going to break down any minute. Yugi knew his best friend was hiding something, and he suddenly feels like whatever happened (or _is_ happening) with his family is finally taking a visible toll on Yami. Now he just had to get a chance to talk to him and let him know that he'd always be there for anything the crimson-eyed needed.

Today, Yugi excuses himself from his last class by pretending he's feeling sick. When he's out in the halls, he waits by Yami's locker, realizing this might be his only opportunity to talk to him before the weekend. Once the bell rings, the hallways start filling up with students, and the boy patiently waits until his best friend gets to his locker.

Yugi doesn't like how Yami looks: zombified. If his clothes were tattered and he had a little of spooky make-up on, then he'd truly look like a zombie come out of Resident Evil, and that's not something Yugi wants to think about. He shudders at the mere thought. Yami stops next to him… and he doesn't even notice him.

"Hey," Yugi says.

Yami nearly jumps out of his skin. He looks up and his eyes are huge—shocked? Surprised? Scared? "H-hey," he says back.

"I, um, hadn't seen you around," Yugi continues, trying to keep a conversation.

"Yeah," Yami says, shuffling his things into his locker without making eye contact.

"You okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Yugi bites his lip; he should've known it wouldn't be _that_ easy to talk to his best friend. "It's been a while since we hung out. Want to come over to my house? We could play 'If You Absolutely Had to Choose', or chess, or—"

"I can't," Yami quickly answers. Before Yugi can even try to stop him, he's already walking off without as much as a goodbye.

"Wait, wait, wait." Yugi follows after his best friend and grasps his arm so strong that Yami turns back. "What's wrong? Why have you been avoiding me?"

"I haven't been—"

"_Yes,_ yes, you have." He clutches Yami's arm, trying to make him understand. "I'm your best friend, Yami. I don't know what's going on, I don't know what's wrong… but you can count on me for anything you need. Anything, anytime—you have me," Yugi finishes in a whisper.

Yami seems to let this sink in. He looks down at the floor, eyes furrowed, and then turns to Yugi again. Finally, he heaves out an enormous sigh. "There's someone I need to visit. Will you come with me?"

Yugi blinks. Well, that was easier than he imagined. Of course he says yes.

* * *

Yugi has never been more confused than now. When Yami parks his car, they're outside a… a graveyard? Oh, goodness… _oh, goodness…_ did someone from Yami's family die? His mother, his father? Is that why Yami was so down? If only Yugi knew… he would've been there for him in a flash!

Yami climbs down his car and starts to approach the grassy hills where the tombstones are. Yugi, afraid he'll leave him behind, follows right behind. He thinks that they'll stop almost immediately, since recently deceased people are always the closest to the gates while the ones with more time are closest to the center. However, they soon pass the most recent tombstones, and Yami keeps walking. Then… who is it that died? What relative of Yami is it?

It's two minutes… five minutes… ten minutes… but Yami still doesn't stop. He just keeps walking.

After a long time where Yugi takes in all the tombstones and all the deaths he never even imagined, his best friend halts, making him almost slam against him. The boy looks around Yami's shoulder, catching a glimpse of a headstone with the name _Rebecca Atemu_ engraved on it.

"Yugi," Yami whispers, and his best friend realizes he's swallowing his sobs. His crimson eyes seem even redder as he tries to hold back the tears. Yami points with his palm open at the gray gravestone in front of them. "This is my sister, Rebecca."

Yugi feels his eyes widen and his mouth fall open. He… he didn't even know Yami had a sister… and… and _she died?_ "I—I-I'm so, _so sorry_, Yami, I…"

Yami swallows and smiles bitterly, kneeling down before the tomb. "I used to call her Becky—sometimes I… I also called her 'my little girl'," he chokes out. "She was three years… y-younger than me… S-she was eight when… when…"

And before anything else can happen, the crimson-eyed bursts into tears and clutches at the gravestone, as if that can give him back his little girl. At last—at _frigging_ last—Yami lets himself openly mourn for his sister.

He hasn't cried this much since he heard of her death; since that terrible day…

Becky had been missing for the entire evening, and Mom and Dad sent Yami to his ex-babysitter's house until she got back so as not to worry him. Dad went out to look for her, and Yami had to go back home because his ex-babysitter had to get out of town. He climbed into Mom's lap while she sang to him, rocking him back and forth while Dad and Becky got back. Later, at night, Dad finally got through the main door, but Rebecca was not with him. Yami woke up—it was a habit he had: waking him whenever he heard a door opening.

"Daddy?" the then 11 year old asked. "Where's Becky?"

Dad didn't answer. He approached Mom, who sat Yami on the couch, and hugged her. "Have you called the police?" Mom demanded.

"Yes, and still no signs of her," Dad said. "She's got that ID you made her, remember? She knows her home address, her phone number; she knows where the police station is."

A knock on the door—Yami knew from the movies he watched with his family on Friday nights that a knock on the door at night was always a bad sign, or at least not a good sign.

He completely blocked out from his memory the events after that knock. They're much too painful for him to remember, but now they're coming back to him in a rush, and they hit him like a cinder block. A policeman was at their door; he took off his hat and asked, "Mr. and Mrs. Atemu?" They nodded. He took out a small card—a homemade ID with the name _REBECCA VIVIAN ATEMU_ written in huge letters at the top with black marker. He and his partner, who were out looking for a little girl after a call from a distressed father, found the body of an infant matching the description they'd been given outside a warehouse. The ID was in her girl's school's sweater pocket. He took out a picture; gave it to Mom and Dad.

Mom cried out, "My girl! My baby!" Dad noticed Yami was standing there, at the foot of the stairs; he took the boy in his arms and carried him to his room, but Yami had already heard the awful news: his sister, his little girl, his Becky… was dead.

Months later, the policemen finally found the bastards that had caught up with the girl, cruelly murdered her, and left her dead body on the cold floor without even stopping to think in what it would mean for the girl's family to lose her at such a young age. But it was too late for the family. Their most precious treasure had been mercilessly taken from their hands.

Yami sobs and cries and shakes as he recounts the story to Yugi, who just stands there in shock, not really knowing what to do. Does he say something to Yami? Does he grip his shoulder? What should he do? He's never been in this kind of situation…

At the end, he opts for the thing he considers safest: he kneels down next to his best friend and wraps his arms around him, pulling him into an embrace.

Yami starts trembling more at this—his heart starts to race so fast and hard that he fears it'll burst right out of him. There's this strange mixture of pain and warmth flooding his insides, and he feels like his chest is burning and it just hurts _so much… _Yugi's rubbing his back, the way Dad did six years ago when he took him to bed that terrible night.

"T-the only time I-I ever c-came here," he hiccups, crying into Yugi's arms while his still clutch at the gravestone, "w-was on her f-funeral… I n-never had the c-courage to do it a-after that…" Then he scoffs and smiles a little, turning to the boy beside him. "Thanks… f-for coming with me…"

Yugi leans his head against Yami's shoulder as his best friend's arms fall down to the ground and wrap around his own. "Thanks for inviting me," he says with a smile. "I'm sure she was just like you."

A small pause.

"May I talk to her?"

Yami's head snaps at him. He doesn't know where Yugi's going with this, but he owes it to him. So he nods. Then Yugi turns his eyes to the gravestone, and he starts to… speak to it. "Hello, Rebecca. My name is Yugi, and I'm your brother's best friend." Yami smiles to himself—Becky _loved_ introductions. She jumped at every opportunity to say her name out loud. She would've giggled with this. "I know we just met, but I would like to ask you a favor. Will you let Yami say a few words to you?"

Yami nearly jumps. "W-wait, I-I don't know—"

Yugi stands up, his arms still around Yami, pulling him up as well. "Just imagine she's right here, in front of you."

_The problem is,_ Yami thinks, _she_ isn't. _She hasn't been for the past six years._ Suddenly, he remembers the melody he composed two weeks ago: the lullaby he created, the one that reminds him of Yugi, of his love for the amethyst-eyed, of his friendship with the boy and how it has started to help him turn all of his pain and sorrow into experience and happiness. He can't turn his back in all the progress he's made.

He takes a deep breath.

"Hey, Becky. It's me, Yami…" Oh, goodness, he's kinda nervous. He feels his legs shaking. _Just imagine she's right there. Think that she left for that Girl's Academy she wanted to attend and this is the first time she comes home in six years._ For the first time in two-weeks, 'mini-me' makes an appearance, sitting on his shoulder.

_You can do it, old chap!_ the little fellow cries, patting the side of his head. _You can do it!_ Then he takes out (from God knows where) a flag that reads, "GO, GO, GO!"

"I-I hope you're doing fine," he continues, breathing deeply through his nose. "I… I know we haven't… haven't really _talked_ or anything… but I really miss you. M-mom and Dad… they do, too." He wipes away some tears that run down his cheeks. "We've needed you… _so, so much_, Becky. A-and…" Yami starts sobbing again, remembering the cold breeze that swept through him the day of her funeral, knowing his little girl would never come back. Knowing that he'd never hear her laugh again; would never see her smile again. "And I w-want you to know… t-that, even though I've t-tried to forget you… I-I never will. Because you're my sister," he sobs. "Y-you're my little girl."

Yugi smiles sadly to himself. He steps next to Yami, letting him know he'll always be there for him.

"I'm sorry f-for never v-visiting you before—I promise that, f-from now on, I-I will. A-at least twice a week… to talk to you." He feels the tears drying up, only leaving a salty trail on his face. He wipes his eyes, laughing for no reason. "I missed this," he tells the tombstone. "I really missed this, Becky."

A soft wind blows by the graveyard. Call Yami crazy, but he can swear that he hears the giggling of a little child, very similar to the one coming out of his sister's mouth every time she heard the nickname only her brother was allowed to call her. "I love you, my little girl. I-I'll see you soon. A-and I'll make sure Mom and D-dad visit you, too."

He softly plucks out a small flower bud from the grass and puts it at the feet of the headstone, his heart content with the fact that starting today, his sister's tomb will be the most beautiful one in the entire graveyard. _Every time I come, Becky,_ he thinks, _I'll bring you a flower. I'll bring you one of the many flowers you loved._

Yami turns around after saying his goodbye and starts walking away, his entire body feeling so light that he looks down at his feet a couple of times to make sure he's not flying. 'Mini-me' appears again, still sitting on his shoulder.

_Great job, Yami!_ he yells excitedly, waving his flag. _Next time we come, can you introduce me to her? She seems to be a very sweet girl!_ Yami nods at himself, thinking that Rebecca would've loved 'mini-me.'

Yugi stares at Yami's back. Then he glances at the tombstone. Smiling, he nods at the name of Yami's sister, adding, "It was nice to meet you, Rebecca," before chasing behind his best friend.

* * *

"I'm proud of you," Yugi says as he and Yami climb up into the car. Yami has this lost look on his eyes—a look he's had ever since he spoke to Rebecca's tombstone. His feelings are a mess right now. He doesn't know whether to feel, like Yugi, proud, or happy, or sad, or normal.

"Thanks," he mumbles. Actually, he's starting to feel sort of proud, too. After all, this was the first time he spoke about Becky out loud. He even _talked_ to her! "It really meant a lot to me that you were there," he says, wiping his eyes.

"No big deal," Yugi responds.

But then Yami takes his hand and Yugi feels like the temperature just got down to zero and rose up to 100 degrees all at the same moment. "It _was_ a big deal," Yami tells him, his eyes watery again. This time, though, they're happy tears. "Yugi…" The boy looks at him expectantly, urging him on. "In the past six years, I-I never even _said_ Becky's name out loud. Now I _spoke_ to her! This… this was a huge, _huge_ step for me. And I couldn't have done it without you." He squeezes Yugi's hand, missing the blush that spreads across the boy's cheeks. "Thank you."

Yugi smiles and pushes a strand of hair out of his forehead. "You're welcome. Thanks for letting me talk to her, too."

Yami smiles as well, clutching Yugi's hand without letting it go. "I bet you would've been great friends."

"Like us?" Yugi adds a bit shyly. Yami's smile grows wider.

"Yeah," he agrees. "Like us."

* * *

_(A/N: D'AAAAWWWW! Cheesy endings are cheesy. :3 I'd love to know what you guys thought! 8D)_


	9. Chapter 9

_(A/N: TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THAT I IGNORED MY HOMEWORK AND STAYED AWAKE TO FINISH THIS! SO YOU BETTER BE GRATEFUL! Haha, I'm kidding, guys! :3 I mean, I DID ignore my homework and stay awake, but I don't blame you xD. I wanted to finish this! And I must say, I'm very proud of how it came out! 8D So I really hope you like it as well! Um, where should I begin?_

_WARNINGS: Fluff. SHAMELESS PUZZLESHIPPING FLUFF. And I mean it! This might be the fluffiest chapter of this story, like, EVER. It'll get even MORE fluffier (yes, I went there!), but for now, this is the top! 'MINI-ME' IS BACK! Cuz I know most of you adore him :3 And I missed him too. MAYBE OOC Yami, but we all love him as a lovesick little girl, so it should be okay. Lovesick!Yugi, perhaps, depending on how you see him. FLUFF. Seriously, I'm giggling just by thinking about it. I'm a crazy whacko... any grammar slips or typos, please let me know! 8D_

_Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh! I wish I did. -sad sigh, sad sigh- On with the story! I hope you like it! :3 Can I just say that I LOVE the opening line of each chapter?)  
_

* * *

**Chapter 9**

The first time Yami kisses Yugi, it's not on his lips.

Three weeks after the two best friends visited Rebecca's tomb, Yami is almost completely back to being his usually upbeat self. First thing he did when he got back home after dropping Yugi at his own house was to tell his parents about the entire trip. He sat them on the couch and told them they had to talk. Both of them were hooked into the conversation as soon as their son started with the sentence, "Yugi and I went to visit Becky."

"It was like nothing I've ever done before," he said, still pretty much in shock. Every few words he had to pause to take a breath. "For the first time since she… since she _died_—" The three flinched at the hideous word, but Yami decided he had to stop going around it and take the tragedy as it was, "—I… I truly felt… like she was still here; like she was still part of the family, and it was really an amazing feeling. But I probably wouldn't have had the… the courage to do it… if Yugi hadn't been there with me."

Chiyoko and Mamoru held each other's hands. Their son had made so much progress in such a short time—and it was all thanks to this boy whom he'd met by a mere coincidence.

"The thing is," Yami continued, "that I'd like to ask you a favor." Mr. and Mrs. Atemu waited for their son's petition. "I-it'd mean… _the world_ to me… if you could also visit her."

"Yami…" Mamoru said. He and Chiyoko looked at each other. They couldn't. They weren't that strong.

"I know it's something hard to think about!" Yami yelled, rushing the words out as if he were afraid they'd get stuck in his throat. "But it's only the first step. The rest of the way is a lot easier… once you take that first step. Besides, I bet… I bet Becky would be _really_ grateful… if you went to talk to her."

Chiyoko looked down at her knees. Going to her baby daughter's funeral was the most difficult thing she ever had to do. Staring at that gravestone—at that terrible piece of stone with her beautiful name engraved on it—and knowing that her little girl would never hug her or call her "Mommy" again shattered her heart into a thousand pieces. But her dear Yami had been the most affected of this: both of her children had been the closest pair of siblings anyone had ever met.

And, even with that, her son had been able to take that incredibly huge step forward. They couldn't stay behind. They had to do this; they _had_ to move on and catch up with Yami so that the three of them could keep going.

"We'll go… sweetheart," Chiyoko finally said, gripping her husband's hand. "We'll do it."

"Did they go?" Yugi asks Yami as he takes his History book out of his locker. Yami's leaning against the row of lockers, and he looks at Yugi with a smile.

"Yeah, they did," he says. "I think they needed it, just like me. And who knows?" He shrugs happily. "Maybe one day we'll all sit down at the table and… be able to laugh about all the good memories we have of her."

"I hope that day comes soon," Yugi tells him, smiling to himself.

"I'm going to go visit her today. Will you come with me?"

"Of course! There are thousands of things I'd like to tell her!" They walk to their History class together; chatting, laughing. It's almost like the first days they knew each other, and Yugi's heart is soaring with joy.

They spend the class stealing glances from the other one, and by now, everyone else has noticed the boy (contrary to the beginning, when only Yami knew he existed), and they all have also noticed that their looks, their giggles, and everything else going on between them has to mean something more than mere friendship. Because, seriously—for being best friends, they're acting a little too much like a will-they-won't-they couple, and it's driving the rest of the school completely insane.

They hadn't been the center of attention all of a sudden. There was this guy that noticed their interaction first around six weeks ago, and he began to spread the voice until everybody (even freshmen and seniors, go figure) knew of the strange pair. After that, they all started to put bets on how long it'd take one of them to confess to the other, because their feelings were as obvious as if they wore giant neon lights over the top of their heads that read "I LOVE MY BEST FRIEND!" If they didn't soon, though, someone else would have to intrude, but they were hoping there was no need to intervene.

Luckily for them, today, Yugi is ready to take the first step towards a confession.

History is their last class of the day, and they walk to the doors shoulder to shoulder after the bell rings. Once they're outside, beneath the beautiful sun of the early afternoon, Yugi stops before they climb down the stairs.

"Yugi?" Yami turns around to him, a bit worried. "Everything okay?"

Yugi has no idea of how this is going to go down. He's trying to work something out in his head. Today he wants to give Yami the purple lilac he created more than a month ago, but he's not sure of how that will happen. Should he wait until they get back from Rebecca's tomb? Or should he give it to him when they're there?

He opts for the first one.

"Yeah," Yugi responds, catching up to Yami. "Everything's great."

* * *

Once they're back on Yami's car, riding to Yugi's house, Yami's a mess of tears (he's been ever since he started going to the graveyard), but they're happy tears and tears filled with feelings he kept inside him during six years. He laughs while wiping his puffy eyes, because he's just an emotional wreck every time he walks away from his sister's tomb. But Yugi has noticed—oh, he has _definitely_ noticed—how much progress Yami has gone through since the first time they came here; especially because Yami now perfectly pictures how Becky would react with each thing they tell her tomb. It's been more than twice that he says to Yugi, "Now she'd be crossing her arms over her chest and pouting. If Mom were here, she'd tell her, 'now, sweetheart, don't do that! That's not the proper behavior for a well-behaved little lady like you!'"

They stop at Yugi's house, and Yami (although he doesn't need to) gets down his car to accompany Yugi to his door. But before Yugi walks inside, he turns to Yami.

"Will you wait for me just a minute? I need to give you something," he says. Yami, slightly confused, can only nod as his best friend walks through the door and closes it behind him.

_What does he want to give me? Did I forget something the last time I came over?_ he wonders.

_OH MY GOD! Maybe he'll give us a present! _'Mini-me' is on the top of Yami's head, wee hearts on his eyes and around him. _How amazing would that be?_ He leans his chin on his hands, sighing dreamily. Yami doesn't know why he keeps 'mini-me' around anymore—the fellow was created because Yami needed to remind himself that he was once a happy kid when his sister died. It was like the child inside of him that would never die. But now that he's started to truly get over the death of Becky, he really has no reason to keep 'mini-me' other than for company when he's alone.

_Amazing, yeah… and totally improbable,_ Yami thinks. Why would Yugi give him a present, anyway? But the little guy completely ignores him.

_Oh, no! We didn't bring him anything! What's he going to think? THIS IS A DISASTER!_

_WILL YOU STOP THAT?_ Yugi comes back before Yami has a chance to continue his argument with himself. The boy's holding a small but long crimson thin box with a purple ribbon in his hands.

"Here," Yugi says, handing him the box. "I want you to have this."

Yami is astonished. So… it _is_ a present? "What's the occasion?" he asks.

Yugi shrugs. "Nothing, really. I just wanted to give you something."

"But I didn't get you anything," Yami mutters, kind of ashamed. "If I'd known you were going to give me—"

"It's fine!" Yugi sort of yells, except he's not angry or anything. "I-I did this a while ago… I just hadn't found the chance to give it to you." Yami decides to stop arguing and he undoes the ribbon to open the box. And when he sees its content, he feels like his heart's suddenly racing a thousand miles per second.

Inside the box is the gorgeous glass figure of a purple flower that he unfortunately doesn't recognize. But… _damn it_, it's absolutely stunning! And he has no idea if Yugi knows this, but the crimson-eyed has always had this fascination with glass figures.

"Wait, you… you _made_ this?" he demands in shock. Yugi nods shyly.

"Remember the day when my dad told me Anzu had brought me some material?" Yami agrees with his head. "Well, it was the material to make this. My dad's a toymaker, remember? These are the only things he's taught me to do for now."

Yami stares at the beautiful flower in front of him. God, it's… it's… _perfect_.

"It's called a purple lilac," Yugi adds. "I wanted you to have it…" He rubs the back of his neck, and there's this _oh so cute_ blush on his cheeks. "S-so that you, you know… so that you knew that I'd a-always be here… if you ever needed me…"

And then Yami just can't take it anymore.

"Oh, Yugi, I love it!" He closes the box and swings his arms around his best friend so quickly that Yugi nearly trips on his own feet, but Yami's grip on him is so strong that tripping seems impossible. The boy's blush goes up to his ears. "Thank you, thank you! It's beautiful!" And without even thinking about it (because, honestly, this thing he's about to do has only happened in his dreams), Yami pulls only slightly apart and kisses Yugi's cheek.

And the world pretty much seems to have stopped.

When Yami breaks off, they're both staring wide-eyed at the other, mouths wide-open, and crimson blushes on both of their faces.

"I-I…" Yami stammers, because he's almost positive that his vocabulary storage right now is empty. "I-I'm sorry, I… I d-didn't… I didn't mean to do that…"

"I-it's fine," Yugi mumbles, feeling like his heart's stuck in the middle of his throat yet is still pounding and beating like crazy. If a kiss on the cheek (by_ Yami, _OH MY_ GOD!_ He can die a happy man now_)_ was enough to get his heart racing like that…! "I-it's… completely okay, d-don't worry…"

"I-I really love it, though! T-the flower, I mean, it's… it's amazing! Thank you." Yugi tells him that it was no big deal, he really likes to make the glass look so beautiful, but Yami just thinks this kid's way too modest.

They say their goodbyes (with a firm but awkward handshake and a hug that lasts quite a while), and Yami gets up his car and drives home, trying to ignore the joyful and LOUD screams of 'mini-me', who has for some reason grown wings and begun to fly around his head with a cupid arrow stuck across his chest. On the other hand, Yugi stays on his door, watching his best friend's car as it gets lost in the distance. He puts a hand to his cheek, and he kind of giggles girlishly because it still feels a little warm. Well, that went a lot better than he thought.

That night, as both best friends lie awake in bed, both thinking on the sort of couple-y moment they shared on Yugi's doorstep, huge smiles spread across their faces. And when they finally fall asleep, the two of them share the same dream—a beautifully decorated salon with gorgeous background music, where no one else but them exists. They stand face to face, dressed in super elegant clothes; they bow, take each other's hands, and start waltzing together.

And in the middle of their slumbers, both Yami and Yugi heave a content sigh.

* * *

_(A/N: OH YES I WENT THERE! I'M WATCHING BEAUTY AND THE BEAST AS I FINISH EDITING THIS, SUE ME FOR THINKING THAT THE MOST ROMANTIC SCENE IN A DISNEY MOVIE WAS PERFECT TO FINISH THE CHAPTER! Whatever you think, please let me know through a review! 8D BTW, thank you all for your wondrous support on last chapter! Hope this one topped last one!)_


	10. Chapter 10

_(A/N: I HAD THIS DONE SINCE THIS MORNING. BUT THIS SITE WAS BEING A BITCH AND NOT LETTING ME LOG IN. BUT ANYWAY, YEAH. I'M ASHAMED OF MYSELF. 'CAUSE IT TOOK ME ANOTHER MONTH TO UPLOAD. ANOTHER. MONTH. AND THAT'S NOT GOOD. THAT'S HORRIBLE. YOU MUST HATE ME. I HOPE YOU DON'T. I HOPE YOU'LL STILL READ THE CHAPTER. 'CAUSE I WORKED HARD ON IT. OKAY IMMA GO NOW THANK YOU BYE. Sorry about that, I'm still kinda angry that the site wouldn't let me upload this sooner xD. BUT! Here it is now! _

_WARNINGS: FLUFF. I'M SERIOUS. IT MIGHT KINDA COMPARE TO THE ONE FROM LAST CHAPTER. MINI-ME! He's back, 'cause I can't write proper fluff without him. Lovesick!Yami and lovesick!Yugi. 'Cause they're both adorable and we know it. No use in hiding it! FLUFF. ... gosh, seems like I can't get over that! xD If you catch any typos, let me know! And if you think either is way too OOC, don't be afraid to tell me!_

_Disclaimer: I DON'T own Yu-Gi-Oh! Sadly. OH MY EFFING GOD DID YOU SEE THE LATEST GLEE EPISODE? IT AIRED TWO DAYS AFTER I UPLOADED THE LAST CHAPTER. KURT AND BLAINE FUCKING KISSED TWO DAYS AFTER I UPLOADED A CHAPTER. I COULDN'T GET OVER THE SHOCK. BUT OF COURSE, I SAW THE KISS AROUND 12548478325 TIMES AND I STILL WATCH IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN. IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL. BLAINE YOU LIIIAAAARRR! "Not good at romance"? NOT GOOD AT ROMANCE MY ASS! THAT WAS A FUCKING EPIC SPEECH. AND THEN YOU KISSED KURT. TWICE. GOOD JOB, OLD CHAP. TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH, BUT GOOD JOB. I WAS SO HAPPY FOR KURT. AND FOR BLAINE. I ALMOST CRIED. IMMA GONNA SHUT UP NOW._

_Enjoy the chapter! And sorry for such a long A/N!)  
_

* * *

**Chapter 10**

The first time Yugi likes the real world more than his fantasies is the day Yami walks up to him at the end of school and tells him, "I composed a lullaby for you!"

He didn't expect it. Not at all. And he had very good reasons not to. Yami was nervous around him all day long—nervous as in jumping every time Yugi called him or laughing nervously or stuttering and then not say a thing—and Yugi even wondered (a little scared, actually) if Yami had sort of gone back to his Resident-Evil-zombified version or something. That would be very terrifying. Though if it was the zombie again, Yami would be… well… _zombified_. And this was not it. In a way, it was relieving. In another way, it was more confusing.

Then, at the end of school, while Yugi's putting some books into his locker, Yami approaches him, blushing a little (which is adorable, actually) and kinda holding his breath. Before Yugi can even say hello, his best friend rushes out, "I composed a lullaby for you!"

Yugi has never imagined this. His dreams consist of Yami serenading him outside his window at some ungodly hour of the morning, dancing with him—which has, up to now, been his favorite—holding hands in a much stronger way than friends… he hasn't dared to dream about Yami kissing him, even though his subconscious betrays him and makes him imagine the two of them sharing a kiss. No, no, his dreams are a lot smaller than that. But he's never, _ever_, even dreamt of his best friend composing him a lullaby.

"You… what?" he asks, fearing he heard wrong.

"I wrote a lullaby for you! W-well, I didn't actually _write_ it, it was kind of like, spur of the moment, but I memorized it! O-okay, not really _memorized_ it right _then_, because I actually had to play it like, a couple more times to remember what I'd done, but then I _did_ memorize it and I'd sort of forgotten to tell you, and I woke up today and thought, 'Hey, I'm gonna tell him about the lullaby today!' and I'd really like it if you would, like, come over and listen to it! O-or you can simply ignore me and tell me you don't care or something, y'know? I won't get mad, promise! Oh, crap, I… d-did you even understand a word I said? I kind of ranted, didn't I?"

During this whole time, Yugi tries not to laugh, and it's not because he's making fun of Yami, no, never, but because _damn it all_ sometimes Yami is more adorable than he lets on. At the end, however, he _does_ laugh, covering his mouth with his hand. Yami's face falls, but Yugi explains his laughter.

"No, no! I mean, yes! Wait, no, I—Oh, God, I'm not making any sense…" he giggles. "I _did_ understand what you said, and I _would_ like to hear that lullaby you wrote but didn't," he says, giggling again, which makes Yami's heart race so hard and loud that it's a miracle Yugi can't hear it.

So they drive to Yami's place, and all the while 'mini-me' is in total chaos. He's making Yami _so_ nervous, the frigging fellow, pulling at his hair while jumping on the steering wheel! _What if we forget what comes next? What if he doesn't like it? WHAT IF HE HATES IT? WHAT IF HE DOESN'T WANT TO SPEAK TO US AGAIN? OH, MY GOD, THE HORROR! THE UNCERTAINTY!_

_OH, MY GOD, PLEASE SHUT UP! _Yami screams at himself. _I'm trying to drive here! If we crash, we can't show Yugi the lullaby, you know! STOP IT ALREADY! _For once, 'mini-me' actually listens and shuts up: he sits down at the top of the steering wheel (thank God Yami doesn't move it around so much, except in curves and turns), zips his mouth (_literally_), and rests his hands on his knees. _Thank you, _Yami thinks. At a red light, he glances to the beautiful boy sitting beside him on the passenger seat.

Yugi's looking out the window, chin resting on his palm. He hopes Yami can't see the goofy grin he has on his face and the pink blush decorating his cheeks. He can feel his heartbeat through his shirt, and he wonders if there's any way that it might break free from his chest.

They finally get to Yami's place, actually arriving just in time for dinner. Mrs. Atemu is just finishing the mashed potatoes, and Mr. Atemu is sat at the table, but both teenagers notice the two adults' eyes are tearstained, red and puffy. Yami smiles: his parents have kept their promise of visiting Becky at least once a week.

"Oh, hi, honey," says Mrs. Atemu, wiping her eyes.

"Hey, Mom, Dad," Yami greets back, trying to hide the smile. "I brought Yugi over. That's okay?"

"Of course, son," Mr. Atemu answers, his voice sounding a little hoarse. "Good afternoon, Yugi."

"Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Atemu," Yugi says with a bow. "Thanks for having me over."

"Anytime, dear," says Mrs. Atemu. Yami offers to help her put up the table, and he tells Yugi to sit down. While he's helping his mom at the kitchen, Chiyoko shoots him a small knowing smile.

Yami turns to her and chuckles slightly. "What?"

"You want to play that lullaby you wrote for him, don't you?"

He doesn't know how she does it, but he guesses that's the reason they're moms. Moms somehow always know everything. He nods at her, and her smile widens. She cups his cheek before patting it softly. "I'm so proud of you, honey."

"Thanks, Mom," he says. Then they both take the cups and plates to the table to have dinner.

* * *

"What is it?" Yugi asks once Yami's sitting at the piano bench and he's standing next to the door of the room. During dinner, Yami glanced nervously between his father, his mother, and Yugi—and not to sound worried or anything, but Yugi didn't know if those glances between the three Atemus meant something. And now that Yami's been sitting at that bench for more than a couple of seconds without playing a key, he's getting a little scared.

"No, nothing, I just…" Yami sighs to himself, tempted to lay his elbows on the keys and bury his head in his hands. 'Mini-me' is sitting on top of the piano, swinging his legs back and forth, back and forth. _I can't do it, little guy,_ Yami thinks.

_Of course you can! You just put one finger before the other one… like walking! And then you'll be running your hands through these keys! … And yes, I did mean the pun, _the little guy tells him reassuringly, giggling.

Yami takes a deep breath.

He begins to play.

Yugi downright wants to break down and cry. What he starts listening to is sort of like the most beautiful thing he's ever heard, and _dammit_, he never knew Yami could play so well! The piano notes fill up the room, and call it cliché or stupid or ridiculous or cheesy or whatever, but Yugi feels like he's flying away to some other place where everything is calm and beautiful, and suddenly his dream of waltzing with his best friend is right before him, and he imagines the two of them slow-dancing to this tune that swirls around him.

There are tears in his eyes before he realizes it, and then the music's gone. It vanishes abruptly as if it was never there. Yami's standing up, worriedly looking at him.

"H-hey, what's wrong?" he asks, stepping closer to Yugi. "I-I'm sorry, was it… was that too much? I honestly didn't mean to! I just…" Yami runs his hands through his hair while Yugi can't help but cry more tears. "Look, this… th-this isn't that big of a deal, I…"

Yugi lets out a nervous chuckle, because this is just too perfect to be true. And for heaven's sake, Yami is so terribly adorable when he rants.

"What are you talking about?" the amethyst-eyed boy says, wiping away his tears. "I'm… I'm not sad, Yami, I'm happy!" Then he laughs for real, thinking that this guy is… he can't even think of a word. "That was beautiful! Did… did you really compose it for me?"

Now Yami's blushing. That… went different than he expected. Seriously, he had so many scenarios of how this could turn out. Yugi could've laughed, or said he liked it, or said he didn't like it, or ended their friendship, or walked out of the room, or hugged him, or kissed him (the one Yami thought about the most), or kicked him, or something else. But… he never expected tears of any kind, although he was really glad that those tears were happy ones.

"Um, w-well, yeah," Yami says, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "I… sorta thought about you and… and h-how you've helped me… And I didn't finish 'cause I thought you didn't like it, and…"

Yugi finishes tearing up, and his eyes are a little red but he doesn't really mind because the guy he's in love with _frigging composed a lullaby for him. _He's feeling a little bold now, so he closes the distance between them both and kisses Yami's cheek.

And, well, let's say that Yami has never had so much trouble trying to ignore 'mini-me's squeals.

When Yugi steps away, Yami's body temperature is stuck somewhere above the 100 degrees, and his face is all red and flushed and his head's spinning and he's feeling dizzy and he kind of wishes he could stay like this for a while. Yugi has a very cute pink blush across his cheeks that makes Yami wanna pinch them for some strange reason, and he pushes a small strand of hair above his ear.

"I, um…" he starts, looking at the floor, "I should… I have to go," Yugi sort of whispers. "My parents must be expecting me home soon."

"Yeah," Yami says. "Yeah, I… okay." He curses himself for not having a piece of imagination that's a little quieter than the one he has screaming inside his head at the moment, because he can't even hear his own thoughts. _WILL YOU PLEASE BE QUIET FOR A MINUTE? I'M TRYING TO THINK!_

'Mini-me' covers his mouth with both hands, but Yami can still see him jumping from one leg to the other, shutting his eyes in eager excitement.

"I… yeah, can I… can I give you a ride home?"

"I'd… I'd rather walk home," Yugi answers, but he smiles so that Yami doesn't take it the wrong way. "I gotta get some thoughts in order." Then he hugs his best friend, resting his chin on Yami's shoulder, and the crimson-eyed embraces him back and does just the same, and he kind of wants this moment to last forever because this is sort of perfect as it is, isn't it?

"Thank you," Yugi whispers, "for the lullaby. I'd like to hear it all someday."

"Yeah," Yami repeats. Really, there aren't much more words on his vocabulary than that. "I'd like to finish playing it, too."

They stay like that, just in each other's arms for a while. Finally, they break the hug (which actually managed to calm 'mini-me' down long enough so that now his expression is a tranquil smile and calm closed eyes), and they wave goodbye at each other, muttering 'see you later's before Yugi walks out of the room. Yami listens as his best friend thanks his parents for the hospitality, and it's not much later after that he hears the door opening and closing.

He feels like jumping around. He feels like shouting to the sky. He feels like flying. He feels _everything_ at the same time and it's _wonderful_. He looks around the piano studio, the room that once belonged to Becky, where the little girl would play the instrument without really knowing how to. Yami imagines his little eight-year-old sister sitting at the bench, looking up at him with her big, round eyes, grinning at him.

_What?_ Yami mentally questions.

_Nothing,_ he hears her reply. _I'm just happy for you._

Chiyoko steps into what used to be her daughter's room and leans on the doorframe, her arms crossed. "So, how did it go?" she asks her son.

Yami turns his eyes from the illusion of his sister to his mother. He looks down at the floor, a shy but happy and beautiful smile perking up his lips as he tells her, "Kind of perfect."

* * *

_(A/N: CHEESY ENDING IS CHEESY. I LOVE CHEESE. AND I'M A SUCKER FOR FLUFF. MMKAY IMMA REALLY GONNA GO NOW KAY BYE!_

_P.S. KURT AND BLAINE KISSED! STILL CANNOT GET OVER THAT FACT. THEY KISSED. TWICE. OMG I'LL NEVER GET OVER IT. NEVER EVER. PLEASE REVIEW! THEY KISSED!  
_

_P.S.S. Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews from last chapter! I'm so glad and thankful for all your wonderful response and support, people! Never change, I love you all! -group hug- :D!)  
_


	11. Chapter 11

_(A/N: FINA-FUCKING-LLY. I AM SO EFFING SORRY, YOU GUYS. I HAVEN'T UPDATED SINCE APRIL 10TH. **APRIL 10TH.** THAT WAS MORE THAN TWO MONTHS AGO. NOT EVEN MY GREATEST APOLOGIES WILL MAKE UP FOR IT, BUT I AM STILL VERY TRULY DEEPLY SORRY. I HOPE YOU CAN FORGIVE ME AND STILL READ THIS EVEN THOUGH THIS AUTHORESS IS LIKE, AN ASSHOLE. PLEASE FORGIVE ME, GUYS. I'VE BEEN SO FOCUSED ON OTHER FANDOMS THAT I FORGOT ABOUT OUR DEARIES. I'LL TRY TO WRITE BETTER AND FASTER. I JUST FINISHED WRITING THIS 'CAUSE I'M ACTUALLY AT A HOTEL ROOM AT THE BEACH WITH WIRE INTERNET AND I HAD TO FINISH BEFORE MY MOM TOOK THE INTERNET AWAY FROM ME.  
_

_Now, uh, **WARNINGS:** 'Mini-me' makes no appearance here 'cause I sort of focused on Yugi, mostly. Nervous!Puzzleshipping, ah... FLUFF. Incredible amounts of fluff, I think. It's short, so sorry about that. D: Uh, what else... OH, YEAH. PROGRESS. LIKE, REAL PROGRESS. Read for yourselves to see what that means!_

_We all know the Disclaimer, but still, Yu-Gi-Oh! does not belong to me. Neither do the characters. Enjoy! And if you left a review, it'd mean the world to me! HOPE YOU LIKE IT!)_**  
**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

The first time Yugi hears Yami say he's in love with him, Yami doesn't tell him.

Well, not directly.

Three nights ago, Yami had another dream with Yugi, except this one wasn't as happy as the one where they'd danced together. No, this one was actually tragic. So tragic and so scary and so freaking _real_ that Yami woke up crying. In his dream, he didn't really know what happened, but Yugi was gone. He was on a hospital bed with a crying Yami by his side and then he was gone. When Yami managed to calm his nerves and swallow the enormous lump on his throat, he took his cell phone and called Yugi, not even realizing it was past two in the morning.

"_Hello?"_ a sleepy voice answered.

"Yugi? Hey, it's Yami," he said, trying not to burst into tears because it was _just a dream_.

"_Hey, what's up?"_

Why was Yugi so nice? He didn't get angry at him because of how late (or early) it was, didn't question why he was calling. He took it as if it were just another 'just wanted to say hi' kinda call.

"Look, um," Yami started, wiping at his face because he could feel the tears starting to sting again. "I, uh… I had this really, really bad dream and… I-I just, um… I just wanted to, y'know, make sure you were okay."

"_Yeah, I'm okay,"_ Yugi answered him, complete understanding in his voice. _"Don't worry, I'm fine."_

"Do… er, do you mind if we… if we just talk, for a while? I-I'm still sort of shaken by the whole thing."

"_No, it's cool."_ So they both stayed awake, talking to one another for an entire hour before Yami was calm enough to go to sleep. And all the time they talked, Yami held the glass flower Yugi had made for him in his hand.

In the morning, he had a revelation. He realized that Yugi wouldn't always be around, as neither would he. _I'm in love with him,_ he thought, staring at himself in the mirror. _But I have to tell him before it's too late._ He'd seen all those stories of people who loved someone and lost that person before being able to confess their love, and he didn't want his case to be like that.

So, three days later at school, he invites Yugi to come over after class in hopes that he can finally express his feelings towards his best friend.

Once they're at Yami's place, Yami excuses himself for a second and runs up to his room, panic starting to set in his bones. How the heck is he supposed to confess to his best friend? He can't just go up to him and say "I'm in love with you, please go out with me"! Well, um… he guesses that maybe he can sort of… sort of practice what to say…?

Yami stands in front of his mirror, hoping that his parents know him well enough to realize he's having this sort of panic attack and that he's going to need them to distract his best friend.

* * *

Turns out—his mother is the one that realizes his plan. He finds this out later on, and he decides not to question it anymore. Mothers know, after all.

Chiyoko's at the kitchen, and she asks Yugi to please help her wash the dishes, which he gladly does.

"Is something wrong with Yami?" he asks Mrs. Atemu.

"No, darling, don't worry," she answers, a knowing smile across her lips. "Maybe he wants to give you something for the flower you gave him. It's beautiful, by the way, you have a great gift for crafts."

Yugi laughs nervously and blushes. "H-he showed it to you?"

"He did," Chiyoko says. "You might not know this, Yugi," she tells him as she finishes her stew, "but Yami's come a long way thanks to you. Your friendship means the world to him. He's changed for the better, Yugi." She turns to look at the boy whose expression shows he would've never guessed the effect he's had on his best friend. "And I want to personally thank you for helping my boy this much."

Yugi has _no_ idea of what to say. He feels the sting of the tears on his eyes, but he subtly wipes his face so that Yami's mom doesn't see him cry. Of course he knows Yami considers their friendship a big deal, but he didn't know that he'd helped him the way Chiyoko says. He was just… being a good friend.

"Dear," the woman speaks again, snapping Yugi out of his thoughts. She's looking out at the hallway leading upstairs. "Will you terribly mind telling Yami that dinner's almost ready?"

The boy nods his head and walks upstairs to Yami's room.

And right when he's about to knock on the closed door, he hears his best friend's voice clearly saying, "Yugi, I… I'm in love with you."

And he stops dead on his tracks.

_What?_

"No, don't just drop the bomb!" Yami cries to himself, completely unaware that his best friend is on the other side of the door and oh, God, was that a _confession?_ Is Yami really in love with him? He's not dreaming? Is this actually reality? "Do you wanna scare him away? Think, Yami, think! Don't be so harsh! Geez…"

He opens the door before Yugi has the chance to run back downstairs.

They're standing face to face. Yugi's blushing, and Yami's about to ask him if he's okay when a sudden realization smacks him on the head.

Yugi was at his door.

Yugi was at his _door_ when he was_ practicing._

Yugi _heard_ Yami practicing.

Uh-oh.

"U-um," Yugi says, looking down at the floor because he just can't hold Yami's gaze. "Y-your mom says d-dinner's almost ready."

He tends to walk away, he really does, but he finds Yami's hand holding his own, stopping him from escaping like he really wants to. He turns his eyes back to Yami's, and he finds confusion, desperation, hope, and caring all at once in the crimson orbs.

"Yugi," he says, swallowing like he can't breathe. "I… I meant it. What I said in there, I-I meant it, okay? I didn't know how to tell you, but it's the truth. A-and I…" He gulps again, and Yugi realizes he's swallowing back sobs, but he lets Yami finish. "I c-completely understand if you… if you just want us to be friends, and I'm fine with it! I really am! I just… just needed to tell you, but you, y-you don't have to say anything, okay? Just… I… yeah."

And he lets go of Yugi's hand and scratches his hair, not sure if it's out of relief or frustration or something.

They just stand there, without looking at each other, without saying a thing. Yugi doesn't know what to do, because _wow_. That really, _really_ did happen. Why is he just standing there? He orders himself to say something, to say that he's in love with his best friend, too—to say that he's just as scared but he wants to risk it, because he knows that even if it turned out that they're not made for one another, they'd still be friends; nothing would ever be able to ruin their friendship.

His mouth is forming the words before he realizes it.

"Me too."

Yami looks up at him expectantly, hopefully, worriedly. God, have his eyes always been so dark red—so beautiful?

"C-come again?"

"Me too," Yugi repeats, small tears forming at the corners of his eyes. "I… I'm also in love with you."

The next ten seconds happen in a flash. Yugi is suddenly overcome by Yami's arms wrapping around him, pulling them flush against each other, and he carries him and twirls him around in joyful laughter; they're both laughing so loudly that Mrs. Atemu can surely hear them all the way down to the kitchen.

They stop twirling. Yami's hands rest on Yugi's back gently, and the boy can hear the question the gesture asks: _Will you go out with me?_

Yugi's arms snake around Yami's waist, and he returns the hug, answering with _Yes. Yes, I'd love to._

Downstairs, Chiyoko smiles to herself as she finishes setting up the table.

* * *

_(A/N: WHO WANTS TO DANCE WITH ME? HUH? HUH? WE FINALLY GOT THEM TOGETHER, GUYS! SWEET BOY KISSES WILL BE COMING UP SOON, I PROMISE!_

_BTW, please let me know what you think! Looking back on it, I'm not really sure, but please share your thoughts! I'd love to know what you thought of it! :D And thank you for the amazing support you've given me, guys, seriously, I wouldn't be who I am without you. And this is gonna sound creepy, but I love you guys. I love you for having faith in this even when I myself doubt it sometimes. I. LOVE. YOU. ALL. Thank you!)_


	12. Chapter 12

_(A/N: First of all, YAY! I got a new chapter within a week from last one! I FEEL PROUD OF MYSELF FOR THIS ACHIEVEMENT! Second, this wasn't supposed to be this long, it was supposed to be only the half of what it actually is but my brain likes to make me struggle at ungodly hours of the morning. (It's 5 am right now, actually.) Third, and **THIS IS IMPORTANT:** Uh... I'm gonna leave on Monday for two weeks to sort out some things about college (I'm going next year) cuz, well, it's another city and I'll be living absolutely by myself. While still being 17. Which scares the shit out of me, but the point is, I'm not coming back till the 17th. __And I don't know if my mom will allow me to carry my computer along or if I'll even have the chance to get online OR if I'll even have internet. But I. WILL. WRITE. I'll take notebooks and write. A lot. If my mom thinks she can keep me from writing, she's WRONG. Still, you probably won't get updates, and I wanted to leave you this before I left. GODDAMMIT, STUPID CATS, SHUT UP!  
_

_... Sorry, I got stray cats unwillingly living outside my house. Anyway, NOW to the chapter: OH MY GOD I LOVE IT. I DO. I really REALLY LOVE IT. I HOPE YOU DO TOO. **WARNINGS:** FLUFF. A LOT. 'Mini-me' makes no appearance here (sorry, folks!), and I'm kind of angry that I didn't include him but I wanted the chappie to be sort of serious, y'know? And he always makes me laugh, so... __I also wanted to have them dancing (you'll see where, I swear), but I really wanted to end this CUZ I FREAKING WANNA GO TO SLEEP. Um, um, sorry about that, um... FLUFF. Seriously. The first sentence gives it away. Please, PLEASE notify me if there's too OOC-ness, or if there's a typo in there somewhere, or if you simply liked or hated this. _

_ENJOY, PEOPLE! We already know the disclaimer, so please read on! LOVE YOU ALL! :3 :3)_**  
**

* * *

**Chapter 12**

The first time Yugi and Yami actually kiss, it's really kind of perfect.

They've been dating for one month now. It's funny, really, because everyone around them sort of thought they were already dating before that. There was this sophomore girl that approached them at school when they entered holding hands and asked hopefully, "So, are you two like, _official_ now?"

They both looked at her, at each other, and back at her. "Official?" Yami repeats.

She looked truthfully confused. "Yes, I mean… weren't you two dating?"

They repeated the staring they'd done before and Yugi told her, "Um, n-no, we—we weren't, you know, dating. He just—he recently asked me out."

"Oh," she said, embarrassed all of a sudden. "S-sorry, all of us… we… um, never mind. You—um, you look really good together."

And then she walked away.

The rest of their first day as an "official couple" (as everyone suddenly began to call them), they kept getting glances from other students. Both guys and girls fixed their eyes on them, and they caught quite a lot of the girls giggling and a lot of the guys paying money to each other for some strange, awkward reason they didn't want to know.

"How come they all knew this would happen but us?" Yugi asked Yami, leaning against him at the same time he let out a laugh.

"It was apparently inevitable," Yami answered him, squeezing the grip on his hand. "Either that or we were terribly obvious to everyone yet oblivious to ourselves."

"I like both options," Yugi said, smiling kindly.

The next month is pretty much the same as when they were just best friends, except now they allow themselves to sit a little closer to each other, to smile a little more, to hold hands a little longer. Their "dates" consist of them cuddling in either of their couches (depending on what house they're staying at) and watching movies, especially Disney ones—they're both of their favorites.

It feels, at least to Yami, like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. Now he doesn't have to worry about getting caught staring, and if he wants to kiss Yugi's cheek, he _can._ He actually does it a few times, when the movie is so emotional that Yugi has small, tiny tears falling down his eyes; all he has to do is lean in and press his lips to the skin of his boyfriend's cheek and it's done, Yugi smiles at him and leans his head on his shoulder.

Oh, God.

Boyfriend. _Boyfriend._

Yami's not sure he's ever going to get used to using that word to refer to _Yugi, _who was his best friend a month ago.

No, scratch that. It doesn't matter if now they're a couple. First of all, they'll _always_ be each other's best friend, regardless of where their romantic relationship ends up.

The day of their first-month anniversary, it's a Saturday, and Yami has a whole date planned out. His mother has often told him that he's a romantic, and he's not going to argue that. But before he sets his plans into play, he goes to the graveyard to visit Rebecca—he has the need to tell her what he wants to do. He picks up some flowers from a nearby flower shop (tulips and roses, because they were Becky's favorites) and heads to his sister's tomb. Hers is one of the prettiest ones ever since he began to bring her flowers.

"Hey, Becky," he tells her, sitting down at the ground in front of the plaque. "Today's my one-month anniversary with Yugi," he says, blushing because, seriously, who gets all worked up because of _one month?_ "And I planned something really special, and I really wanted you to know what it was. You would've probably been nagging me about it, huh?"

So he stays there for a while—nearly three hours—babbling on and on about his day, and his heart feels lighter, feels like a feather flowing with the breeze. And then he leaves and drives to Yugi's place to pick him up.

"Hello, dear," says Mrs. Amelia Mutou as she opens the door. "Yugi will be down in a minute," she adds, turning to look back. "Yugi, Yami's here!" She invites him to come in, but Yugi's already at the door, waving 'hi' at his _boyfriend_.

"Bye, Mom," he says, kissing her cheek. "We'll be back later!" Yami takes his hand in appreciation and drags him to his car.

"Drive safely!" she yells at them from the door, and they both wave at her before the engine starts running and they drive off.

"So, where are we going?" Yugi demands playfully, a cute smile at his lips. Yami tries to help it, but he really can't avoid thinking about the day he met Yugi, which seems _ages_ ago, and remembering how he was so mesmerized by his eyes, by his smile, by his mere _presence_.

"Oh, you'll see," Yami responds, holding Yugi's hand even though he's driving. Yugi's smile grows wider, and he tightens his grip. He looks out the window, and he's so happy, so light-headed, that he grips Yami's hand even tighter, as if that's the only thing keeping him anchored to reality, the only thing reminding him that _yes_, this _is_ happening.

This is _real._

* * *

The first place they go to is a park. A park Yugi's never seen before, but it's _beautiful_: the trees, the grass, the benches, everything is amazing! Yami leads him to a special spot on the grass, right beneath the shadow of a tree, and he tells Yugi to wait for him, "I'll be right back." When he returns, he's holding a picnic basket, and Yugi's jaw nearly drops.

"A picnic?" he asks, laughing. "We're having a picnic?"

On one of their recent dates, they'd shared a few more secrets with each other; stupid things, actually, which are kept secret for that exact same reason, and one of Yugi's secrets was that he really, _really_ wanted to have a picnic at a park someday. He'd seen it countless times in movies and TV—he wondered what it was like.

And here Yami was, _giving him a freaking picnic basket._

"I've decided that from now on," the crimson-eyed says, "my mission in life is to make your secret dreams, and not-so-secret dreams, come true."

Yugi suddenly wants to cry, because this guy is too perfect a human being to be true. But he doesn't. He just grins and helps Yami spread out the blanket, unload the basket, and they lie down and eat and talk of things that don't matter. They glimpse at the sky, pointing out clouds and their shapes.

"That one looks like a CD," Yami says.

"Yami, I don't think a cloud can—oh."

"Uh-huh."

"It _does_ look like a CD," Yugi says, and they both laugh. He points to another. "That one's a cat."

"I think it's missing the tail, no?" It is, but then another cloud joins the cat-shaped one.

"No, look, there it is!"

"Oh, hey, there's a heart!"

They keep watching the clouds, laughing and goofing off, but they also hold hands and keep talking and eat the delicious lunch Yami helped his father prepare and this day couldn't be more perfect. Or so Yugi thinks.

* * *

The next place they go to is the ice-cream shop where they hang out during one of their first hang-outs. Yami orders for them both, because he clearly remembers Yugi ordering a strawberry-vanilla double cone, and when his _boyfriend_ (oh, sweet heavens!) raises an eyebrow at him as he comes back with both of their cones, he shrugs, saying, "Lucky guess, I think."

Yugi doesn't believe him, and Yami knows it, but he doesn't mind. They eat their ice-cream and laugh at old jokes together. They talk about the recently legalized gay marriage in New York, and how it's a great step and an enormous deal for… people like _them_.

"It shouldn't have to be such a big thing," Yami says a little angrily. "It's still marriage, isn't it? Love is love; it's about the person you love, not their gender. It should be legal from the beginning."

Yugi agrees, but he realizes that nothing he says will make Yami feel better about this. They've talked of it, yes, because it's huge for them and for a lot of people. Yugi's found that Yami defends the issue of equality with his life, and he can get so pissed off sometimes that the boy is left with no idea of what to do to calm Yami down, to make him see that someday, someday, it'll be different—that someday, they'll look back and say, "Remember when gay marriage wasn't legal everywhere?"

Instead, he holds out his free hand and interlaces his and Yami's fingers together across the table.

"Soon it won't be a big deal," he says, adding a shy smile. "We just gotta keep working on it."

Yami smiles at him, one of those smiles that sincerely show gratefulness and appreciation, and he squeezes their locked fingers. "One day," he agrees.

They finish their ice cream cones between silent glances.

* * *

The last stop of the night (it's dark already) is a secret to Yugi, because his boyfriend actually _covers_ his eyes once he gets out of the car, explaining that it's a surprise he doesn't want to ruin. When Yugi is finally able to see what this huge surprise is all about, there's the same blanket from their picnic spread out in a small patch of grass on the ground, and there's an old battery recorder beside the blanket and the starts in the sky look _wonderful_ and…

The amethyst-eyed's jaw drops this time.

"So, you like it?" Yami asks behind him.

He has no time to react before Yugi throws his arms around his neck, hugging him close. "I _love_ it," he replies happily, tears threatening to spill out of his eyes.

Without more words, Yami presses the "Play" button on the recorder, and the soft sound of a piano starts to fill the air around them, the notes dancing in the warm breeze. Are those… are those Disney songs notes? Yugi recognizes a few of the tunes; but that's all they are. Tunes. There are no lyrics to any of these songs.

"Instrumental versions?" he wonders out loud, sitting down on the blanket.

Yami blushes slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "They, erm… I, uh—it's me, actually. It's, um, me playing them."

Yugi looks at him, completely stupefied. "You _played_ them?"

"Well, yeah," Yami admits while he sits down next to his boyfriend. "I wanted us to have music, but I also wanted it to be special, so I looked for some sheets and… there you go."

They lie down next to each other, holding hands, staring at the stars. Yugi rests the back of his head on Yami's shoulder, pointing out a few constellations his dad taught him as a kid (because he's always been really into astronomy) as the Disney piano keeps playing—he notices that all of these songs are his favorite Disney love songs: _Beauty and the Beast_, _Can You Feel the Love Tonight?, A Whole New World, You'll Be in my Heart_…

Yugi wraps an arm around Yami's waist and leans his head on his chest, hearing the _ba-thump, ba-thump_ of his heart. It's a super soothing sound, and he sighs contently. "Thanks for doing this," he says, giggling a little when one of Yami's hands comes to rest on his back.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," the crimson-eyed says.

"You made it perfect," Yugi adds, smiling. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Yami responds, caressing the back of his hair.

Then they turn to look at each other at the same time, and the slight awkwardness of the moment makes them laugh nervously, but they keep the eye contact, as if they can't take enough of the other one. They start leaning into each other, and suddenly they're less than two inches apart.

And then it just happens.

Their lips are pressed together.

They kiss.

It comes extremely naturally, and it's soft and long and nice and sweet and it's pure bliss and perfection.

They pull apart, breathless, and they smile at each other. They say nothing—they don't need to. They go back to listening to the soft piano playing on the background, to gazing at the stars, and they go back to kissing. They peck each other's lips quickly, then slightly longer, and they giggle and laugh and hear each other's heartbeats.

For both of them, nothing could make this night better.

* * *

_(A/N: CRAPPY ENDING IS CRAPPY ENDING, I JUST REALLY WANNA GO TO BED AND THIS SEEMED TO HAVE NO ENDING. Like I said, I really wanted to have them slow-dancing before they lied down to star-gaze, but I didn't want to add in more cuz that would just make me take longer to finish this..._

_ And O.M.G, YOU GUYS, YOU ARE THE BEST PEOPLE EVER, I SWEAR. Thank you **SO MUCH** FOR YOUR EPIC SUPPORT ON LAST CHAPTER. I'M SO GLAD YOU ALL LOVED IT! YOUR REVIEWS MADE ME CRY TEARS OF SUPER JOY, I SWEAR! **I. LOVE. YOU. ALL!** Hope you enjoy this as much as you did with the last one! GOOD NIGHT, MY DEAR PUZZLESHIPPERS! I will miss you dearly! -sends a kiss and hug to every one of you-)_


	13. Chapter 13

_(A/N: Okay, guys, you... you're going to KILL me, you're going to freaking MURDER me when you finish this chapter. I sort of want to murder myself. It's... it's a horrible chapter. Horrible things happen in this chapter._

_**WARNINGS:** ANGST. I GREATLY DISLIKE angst, I HATE angst, but I have to keep it real. These guys were having the PERFECT life, and although I hate to point this out, gays don't always have it that easy. In fact, most of the time, NO ONE does. We all get it difficult most of the time, but we get over it. The thing is to know how to. 'Mini-me' makes a VERY brief appearance, and it's more to lessen the tension than anything else. Violence. A bit of gore. JUST A BIT. And angst. Lots of it. A little fluff, too, I couldn't write a chapter of our two dearies without fluff, I mean, c'mon..._

_Without further interruption, on to the chapter!)_

* * *

**Chapter 13**

The first time they're bashed, it's anonymously, and it honestly freaks them out.

They're lying on Yugi's floor, both of them cuddled and spread over a blanket, watching sappy romantic comedies because Yugi just _loves_ those, and just hanging out alone for once because Yugi's parents are out working.

When suddenly his window makes a sickeningly crashing noise and there's glass over them before they realize it.

In front of them is a stone with a note attached to it. The note reads, _BURN IN HELL, QUEERS._

Yami immediately goes to the window, barely visualizing a guy with a black hoodie and a blue cap turning around the corner. Yugi calls his parents while Yami does the same, and when Amelia answers the phone, Yugi bursts into tears, out of being nervous more than out of being scared. After their parents, they call the police, who arrive right behind Mrs. Mutou. Amelia pulls her son into her arms, and an officer asks Yami what happened.

"Some guy pulled a prank on us," he says, holding the stone with the note still attached to it. "Except it got a little bit out of hand." He describes the guy he saw, and it irritates him more than it irritates the officer, because Yami would very much like to know who the heck did it to give the guy what he deserves.

The policeman asks them both a few questions, and it comes to a point where the interrogation starts getting _annoying_, as if _they_ were the criminals instead of the victims here. At this point, Amelia cuts the officer off and politely asks him to leave and do his job. Yugi, once again, thinks that he has the best mother in the entire world.

The couple go back to watch movies, but their hearts aren't on it anymore. Yami offers Yugi to stay at his place until his window gets fixed, and after Amelia and Aristos talk with Chiyoko and Mamoru, Yugi is the officially new resident of the Atemu house—with the sole condition that, if he sleeps in Yami's room, he does so in a sleeping bag.

That night, Yami's awoken by the low sound of whimpering, and he realizes it's coming from the bag on the floor where his boyfriend is sleeping.

"Yugi?" he calls quietly, kicking his sheets away and kneeling behind Yugi, whose back faces Yami. Yugi's eyes are closed, but he keeps whimpering; Yami realizes he must be having a nightmare, so he gently shakes his arm until his boyfriend wakes up with a start. He's crying. He sits up straight and holds to whatever is close to him, which so happens to be Yami's hand. "It's okay," Yami soothes him, caressing the back of Yugi's hand with his free one. "It's okay, Yugi, it was a nightmare."

"Th-they were screaming," Yugi sobs, leaning his forehead on Yami's chest. "A-and they… th-they were yelling at us, and they c-called us names and…"

"It was a nightmare," Yami repeats calmly, his free hand coming up to run his hands through Yugi's hair. "It was a bad dream, you're safe now. You're safe with me."

He manages to make Yugi go back to sleep, but he also lies down with him, pulling down one of his sheets to cover himself with. "W-won't you get in trouble for…?"

"My parents said you had to sleep in the sleeping bag," Yami reasons. "They said nothing about where _I_ had to sleep."

They both fall asleep together, listening to each other's breathing.

* * *

The rest of the week goes as usual, except that now they spend a lot more time together than before. But they quickly get accustomed to it, and before they know it, Yugi's window is fixed and he goes back home.

During the week, they receive good news and find some bad news on their own.

The policeman from earlier that week gives them the good news: they caught the one who broke Yugi's window and who turned out to be a _girl_, but neither of the boys knows her. They have no idea of what happens to her, and honestly, they don't care. The officer recommends them to try to stay home as much as they can, because this might not be the last time someone tries to pull some cruel joke on them. Yugi and Yami agree to this.

The bad news—well, they find that one later.

Unfortunately, the police officer was absolutely right.

* * *

The second time one of them is bashed, it happens at school.

The bell ringing announces the end of the day, but Yugi is nowhere to be seen. Yami starts to get worried—their last class today was different, so he runs to Yugi's classroom, hoping that he'll still be there.

He isn't.

He runs through the hallways, stopping everyone to ask if they've seen his boyfriend. "Have you seen Yugi? Have you seen Yugi? Have you seen him? Has anyone seen my boyfriend?" No one gives him a positive answer, and fear begins to crawl into his heart.

He finally has the decent thought of looking for him outside school. Maybe Yugi's class finished early and now he's waiting for Yami outside.

_Well,_ Yami thinks once he's outside without any sign of Yugi… or anyone else, for that matter. _At least it was a good try._

And that's when he hears the screaming.

And the sobbing.

And the _begging._

He sprints to the back of the school, and his eyes widen in pure _fury_ when he sees three hooded figures beating the crap out of Yugi, who helplessly covers his face and body and _begs_ for them to stop. They call him "queer," "fag," "homo," "_animal_," and Yami loses all ability to act like a decent human being. Maybe it's the adrenaline; maybe it's the rage; maybe it's the desperation; but _something_ makes it possible for Yami to push the three thugs away from Yugi, and he's blindly throwing kicks, punches, here and there, until he opens his eyes and the monsters are gone.

Yugi's on the floor, barely breathing, blood running through the bruises on his face. Yami holds him between his arms and screams for help at the same time he dials 911, crying at the top of his lungs for someone to _please help Yugi._ His boyfriend loses consciousness as he gets an answer and pleads for an ambulance, and he panics for a minute, but he hears Yugi's slow breathing and relishes in its sound, because Yugi's still alive, he's _still_ alive.

The ambulance arrives shortly after, and they get to the hospital and a nurse pulls Yami away from Yugi, telling him that he should call the parents, tell them what happened. Yami can't do it, though. Quiet tears are streaming down his cheeks and he brokenly whispers, "I can't." The nurse understands and does it herself, trying to explain as calmly as she can to a worried as hell father that his son was beaten up.

Yami doesn't think of calling his own parents. This is about _Yugi_, after all, not him. He sits on the waiting room, impatiently pacing around the same spot during the entire time, glancing every 4.78 seconds to the room where Yugi is…

But no one comes out of it.

Yami finally sits down on a chair and just buries his face on his hands. He barely feels 'mini-me' patting his shoulder affectionately, barely hears him say, _Think positive! Yugi will be fine, he's… he's super strong!_ Even though he appreciates the little guy's words, they don't help him much, no matter how hard, how _much_ he wants to believe in them.

For the first time in his life since Rebecca died, Yami feels completely and utterly _hopeless._


	14. Chapter 14

_(A/N: You're going to kill me this time. I take a lifetime to update and I give you this. You won't have any mercy. You're gonna fucking murder me, I just know it. It's okay, I deserve it. I wanna murder myself for writing this._

_BEFORE YOU TELL ME HOW HEARTLESS I AM, LET ME TELL YOU THAT THIS HURTS ME MORE THAN IT HURTS YOU. BUT IT'S ALL DONE WITH A PURPOSE. THE FLUFF WILL COME BACK SOON ENOUGH. I HATE DRAMA, I HATE ANGST, I ALREADY SAID IT, BUT IT'S NECESSARY. _

**_WARNINGS:_** _VIOLENCE. A tiny 'mini-me' appearance. Just... read under your own risk. If you're too emotional, you're gonna need tissues._

_P.S. Do you know how ANNOYING it is to have my "g" and "h" keys loose on my keyboard? They're two of the letters I use the most and they keep popping off the keyboard. ACK.)_

* * *

**Chapter 14**

The first time they break up, it's short, quick, and without any explanations from Yami's part.

But we shall we go back to the first fact that started the snowball effect, which would later lead to their breakup.

Yami is still sitting with his face on his hands when Mr. and Mrs. Mutou break through the doors of the hospital. They reach him and ask thousands of questions, questions Yami cannot answer. He stands up and tries to tell them that he doesn't know anything, that he just knows they brought Yugi in and that's it—but the tears won't let him. He opens his mouth yet no sound comes out of it.

Behind Mr. and Mrs. Mutou, his own parents run towards him. Yugi's mom figured that Yami wouldn't call them, so she did it herself. And Yami is sure glad she did, because his dad and mom are the only ones who truly know how scared he is.

_It's like with Becky,_ he thinks, crying into Chiyoko's arms. _It's the same as Becky, all over again._

"Mom," he sobs.

"I'm here, sweetheart."

"Mom, he…"

"He's going to be just fine," she says, but Yami catches her shooting a worried glance at Amelia, and he can't help but wonder, will Yugi _really_ be just fine?

_Don't worry about it!_ There's the little guy again, sitting on his mom's shoulder, patting the top of Yami's head. _You have to trust him! You have to believe in him!_

_Why are you referring to only me now?_

'Mini-me' is quiet for a second. _Because __**I**__ already believe in him. I know he can make it out of this. It's your turn._

Amelia and Aristos go in as soon as a nurse comes out of Yugi's room and tells them they can come in. Yami honestly wants to be the first to go in there, but his parents are the main priority here. So he patiently waits, his arms hugging himself, for what seems like an eternity when it's probably just a couple of minutes.

Suddenly, he hears a broken voice talk.

"Is he here?"

It's Yugi.

Oh, God, he's _awake_.

"Of course he's here, dear," says Amelia. It's funny how she doesn't need to ask who the "he" is.

"Can… can I see him? Can he come in?"

Yami doesn't know how he did it, but he's already standing at Yugi's closed door when he hears the question. He doesn't knock. He doesn't ask to come in. Instead, he waits until a nurse opens the door to walk through it. He's looking at the floor, at his feet moving, because he needs to prepare his mind for whatever he'll see. What if there are bruises all over Yugi's face? What if there's a bandage over his head? What if there's a cast on his arm or leg?

What if there's…

"Hey."

Yami looks up.

And he feels like crying again.

Yugi has a bandage wrapped diagonally over one of his eyes and the back of his head, more than four purple bruises on both his arms, a cut on his cheek… and that's just from what Yami can see.

"Mom, can—can you leave us alone for a second?" He hears Yugi ask. Amelia nods her head and walks out of the room, but not before softly and encouragingly patting Yami's shoulder. "Hey," Yugi repeats once his mom's gone. There's a smile on his bruised face that should look beautiful but doesn't, not when you see the bandage covering half of his face.

"Yami?" Yugi calls, because Yami hasn't moved, hasn't said anything.

"Hey," Yami whispers, not knowing what else to pronounce that doesn't sound overall stupid.

But then Yugi opens his arms and mutters something that sounds suspiciously like "C'mere," and Yami doesn't know how he does it, but he's hiding in his boyfriend's arms before he realizes it and _why_ is he crying, he shouldn't be crying, Yugi's the one that got hurt, not him, he should be strong for Yugi, _why is he crying?_

"It's okay," Yugi tells him, rubbing Yami's back. "It's okay, I'm fine, see? I'm fine."

"No, you're not," Yami sobs, his chin resting on Yugi's shoulder. "You're not fine. You're bruised and hurt and—"

"I'm _fine_," Yugi insists, kissing Yami's temple, caressing his hair. "I'm alive, aren't I?"

But that's the worst part—he's _barely_ alive.

If Yami hadn't gotten there when he did… if those guys hadn't stopped pummeling Yugi…

He doesn't go there. He doesn't think about that because he's already had those images in his head before with what happened to Becky and…

_STOP IT!_ There's 'mini-me' again, smacking him on the head. _He's alive! He's okay! Sure, he's got a few bandages and cuts and bruises, but those heal!_ he yells at Yami, and he's never been this angry. _It's just a matter of time, buddy, but he's going to be okay!_

The thought calms Yami down. It calms him down enough to think straight and to thank God that Yugi got out of this hate crime alive.

* * *

The authorities of this town are seriously starting to piss him off.

"What was your son doing outside school grounds?" asks an officer, whom Mrs. Mutou called to report the crime.

"He was still in school grounds! He was just waiting for his boyfriend to come out so that they could walk home together!"

"Ma'am, I beg your pardon," the officer says, "but it seems hard to believe that a group of kids would attack a student just because he was standing there."

"And I'll beg your pardon, sir, but I'll have you know that as a lawyer, I've seen more of these cases in _one week_ than you in your entire lifetime!"

"Honey, honey, take it easy," Mr. Mutou says, holding his wife's shoulders.

Yami tries not to listen to the conversation. He's still in Yugi's room, and a nurse closed the door to spare them, but Amelia has raised her voice so much that the officer needs to yell to be heard. Which, in turn, results in both Yami and Yugi being able to hear the entire thing.

"It's no use," Yugi says.

"What do you mean?" Yami holds his boyfriend's hand, running his thumb over his knuckles.

"Even if my mom were to convince that man of my innocence, it'd be of no use. I couldn't see the guys' faces."

Yami grits his teeth in anger. He should've at least tried to catch a glimpse of the bastard's faces. Now they'll get away with beating Yugi and probably also with beating more innocent people whose only crime is to be different.

He wishes being different wasn't seen as a crime by the rest of their stupid, screwed-up society.

* * *

That night, and during the next four nights as well, the entire week Yugi has to stay in the hospital, Yami has nightmares, and they're all horrible, gruesome, _worse_, much worse, than the ones that plagued his mind when Rebecca died. In all of them, he sees Yugi screaming for help, and the danger he's in is different each time. Once, he's tied up with someone holding a robe to his neck; one time, there's a gun to the back of his head. Another time, his lip is bleeding and he gets pummeled every time he cries for Yami to help him.

And in all the nightmares, there's nothing Yami can do.

And every night, he wakes up in tears, thinking that he could've helped Yugi, he could've _stopped_ him from getting hurt. But he didn't.

He _couldn't._

So he comes to a painful conclusion.

Yugi would be safe without him.

Without him, no one would call him _fag_ or _homo_ or _queer_.

Then he comes to the second conclusion that Yugi needs someone better than him.

Someone who can be with him and still keep him safe.

Yami is not that someone.

* * *

"Wait, you're… you're _what?"_

"You heard."

"I did. Are you really—"

"I already did."

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no, you're… it's my fault. It was my fault. You're perfect."

"Clearly not enough for you."

"That's not what I mean."

"Then _what_ do you mean? You're sending me mixed signals here, why are you—"

"Because you _need_ someone better. You don't need me."

"But I—"

"Goodbye, Yugi."

And just like that, he closes the door, leaving his boyf— _ex_-boyfriend standing outside his house, tears swelling his only good eye, his fingers tightening into fists because he still can't process what just happened. He slides to the carpeted floor of his living room, his back against the door, crying his heart out because he just did the most hurtful decision he's ever had to make.

"_I'm sorry, Yugi, but… I'm breaking up with you."_


	15. Chapter 15

_(A/N: I don't have much to say right now because I'm really tired. So, I apologize yet again for my failure as a writer and hope it was worth in the slightest. Enjoy!_

_I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of its characters!)_**  
**

* * *

**Chapter 15**

The first time one of them says "I love you"… well, it could definitely be under better circumstances.

During the past few days, Yugi's parents have found a very interesting change in their son's mood. You see, Yugi is usually a very upbeat kid, always smiling, trying to see the positive side in everything that goes on around him, even if the same stuff could get everyone else down.

But now, he's nothing more than… quiet.

_Extremely _quiet. He stays silent during dinner with his family, he hasn't participated in school, and, the strangest thing of all, he hasn't put on his favorite music to draw anymore. He's always been the one to make noise around the house, but now there's no sound coming from him at all.

So it's completely normal that Mr. and Mrs. Mutou are worried about their son. The both know Yugi's been different because of his out of nowhere break-up with Yami. They know he doesn't want to talk about it, but they don't want him to keep it all bottled up to himself.

"Yugi?" his mom tries once while he's in his room, lying face-down on his bed and drawing on his sketchbook. "Honey, is something the matter?"

Of course something's the matter, what a stupid question.

"No, Mom," he answers without turning to look at her. "Everything's fine."

She knows he's lying. "Okay," she says, though. "But remember, sweetie, your father and I are here if you ever want to talk, all right?"

"Right, Mom."

Aristos suggests taking him to a psychologist—not exactly because of his mood, but because he thinks Yugi's behavior might _also_ have to do with the fact that he was beaten up and almost killed.

"Aristos, Yugi does not need psychological help," Amelia argues.

"What if he _does?"_

"He would've been different since before the—"

"Not necessarily," Aristos says. "He didn't show any signs of trauma right after the accident, Amelia, because he had a support system."

"His relationship," she adds, realization sinking in.

"Exactly. He stayed strong because he had something—someone—holding him. And when that support system crashed, reality began to take its toll on him."

"Do you really think we should get him help?" Amelia wonders, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't know, Aristos. I don't want to put him through something he doesn't need."

"Let's give him time," he decides. "Maybe you're right and his change in behavior will vanish once he's had time to think things through."

* * *

The good news; Amelia was right. Yugi is a strong boy who will not be brought down by anything, including a hate crime.

The bad news; Yugi has become even stranger. But it's not because he's damaged, no; after all, he's a strong boy.

He's just become a little quieter.

And his parents don't know, but it doesn't mean there's something wrong with him.

All Yugi has done since his break-up is wonder what brought it on.

He and Yami had seemed perfectly okay before. Even after the hate crime, nothing seemed to be different. Yami even spent some days at the hospital with Yugi during the time he had to stay under watch. He would lie down next to Yugi and hold him and kiss his face and tell him that he was the most beautiful person in the entire world, and that he didn't deserve any of this.

"No one does," Yugi recalls saying.

"I know," Yami replied, "but much less someone like you."

And suddenly, three days after Yugi's out of the hospital, Yami's breaking up with him.

What could've gone wrong in the span of those three days?

"_You're perfect."_

"_Clearly not enough for you."_

"_That's not what I mean."_

"_Then __**what **__do you mean? You're sending me mixed signals here, why are you—"_

"_Because you __**need**__ someone better. You don't need me."_

Why in the world would Yami think such a stupid thing?

He's painting another flower as he ponders on his thoughts. Yugi knows he doesn't need anyone else, but it's clearer than water that his ex-boyfriend definitely doesn't see it that way.

Ex-boyfriend.

God, even thinking the word makes his chest ache.

Besides, Yami hasn't exactly been showing relief from it, either. In school, Yugi can catch him stealing glances at him; surprisingly, they're _worried_ glances, like he's trying to make sure he hasn't vanished from the face of the Earth or something. One day, too, the same girl who'd told them they looked really good together walked up to Yami in the middle of the hallway. Yami didn't notice Yugi was a few lockers away, not wanting to eavesdrop but really doing nothing to help it.

"How come we haven't seen you guys together anymore?"

"We?" Yami asked.

"Yeah, I mean, the entire school has noticed something's really off with you two. Like, we don't see you hanging outside school anymore."

Yami stayed quiet for a couple of seconds before answering, "We broke up," but Yugi could hear the hurt in his voice, the sorrow, the regret…

"What, seriously? I'm so sorry to hear that," the girl said, and she meant it. "I hope I'm not being too intrusive, but may I ask what happened?"

"It's, um…" Yami held a hand to his eyes, and he started trembling, even just a little, yet Yugi noticed. He saw him trying to breathe through his nose. "It's complicated," he finished before turning on his heels and walking opposite the girl (and thus, opposite Yugi). That day, Yugi realized that Yami's reasons for breaking up with him—whatever those reasons may be—had little or nothing to do with the hate crime he was victim of. Everybody, from freshmen to seniors, had already seen the bandage wrapped around half of his head and one of his eyes, so if that was it, Yami could've just said so.

But he didn't.

Which crosses "Yugi's hate crime" off from the list of options.

Then _what_ was it?

Yugi knows that the only way this will be cleared up is to ask Yami himself.

Except Yami isn't answering his calls or messages or talking to him or communicating with him in any way.

Maybe it's time he recurs to a bit more… _drastic_ measures.

* * *

Yami has been more miserable now than ever. He feels tired all the time; emotionally and physically exhausted. Even though he's been sleeping regularly (and some days even more), he feels as though he hasn't really rested at all.

Then again, maybe it's the guilt taking over him. He's been ignoring Yugi since their break-up, mainly because he doesn't want to face him and have to answer any questions he might have, which he guesses must be a lot. His parents have talked to him countless times already; their pep talks are no good for him. They tell him what he already knows, and he's tired of listening to it.

But more importantly—Yami doesn't want to see or talk to Yugi for fear that he'll immediately beg him to forgive him and take him back. He doesn't trust his will not to crumble in front of the boy.

The silence in his room is so strange to his own ears that he doesn't jump when there's a constant knocking on his door. It's not locked, though, so if it's his mom or dad, why don't they just come in? _I thought they said they'd go to the movies,_ Yami thinks, frowning as he moves to open his door.

And as soon as he does, he has to resist the urge to kick it closed and lock it with chains.

Because it's not his mom or dad standing there—it's Yugi, with half of his face and one of his eyes still covered in that horrible bandage, his healthy eye frowning and narrowing in anger, his arms crossed over his chest.

Yami has to restrict himself from stumbling over his words. "W-what're you—?"

"We need to talk," Yugi snaps, cutting him off.

"About what?"

"You know damn well about what."

This is what he feared. "Yugi, I'm sorry, but right now I'm busy, so I'm going to have to ask you to leave." He doesn't mean to be rude, but that's the only way he can stop himself from jumping into his arms and kissing him and _stop it_. He's about to close the door and turn over the lock when Yugi's foot stands between it and the doorframe.

"You _can't_ just cut me off from your life like this!" Yugi's screaming, screaming _angrily_, and he's never sounded surer, stronger. He pushes his way into Yami's room as if he did it all the time.

"I'm not cutting you off from anything," Yami tries to say, but his voice is cracking and he doesn't sound convincing. "There is nothing to talk about."

"Like hell there isn't!" Yugi turns around to stare right into Yami, who still has a hand around his doorknob. "I want to know why you broke up with me. And I want a _real_ reason."

"I _gave_ you a reason," Yami replies, but he's starting to shake, and if Yugi doesn't leave _now_, he's going to burst into tiny little pieces. "You don't need me. And that's that." There's a small moment full of awkward silence before the boy speaks again.

"You know," Yugi says. "We may not be together anymore—" God, that makes Yami's heart _burn_ so badly and he almost can't stand the pain. "—but I thought that more than anything, we were _best friends."_

How Yugi uses "were" makes Yami cringe.

"We _are_ best friends."

"Best friends don't ignore each other," Yugi mutters, the anger in his voice being replaced by sadness. "They don't ignore your calls, or your texts, or invent excuses to avoid you. Best friends don't _lie_ to each other, Yami."

_No, they __**do**__,_ Yami thinks. _They do when they want to protect you._

"I thought that at least I deserved the truth."

_You do,_ Yami continues thinking. _I just can't bring myself to tell you it. _Why isn't he saying this out loud? Why is he keeping it to himself? Because outside his mind, he's still quiet and Yugi's still staring at him, expecting an answer.

Yugi sighs, almost disappointedly, and he runs his hands through his hair, careful not to mess up the bandage wrapped around his head.

"I'm going to walk out that door," he says. Yami's feeling slightly relieved that this damn mess is going to end for now, until Yugi continues. "But when I do, it's over: _us_ as a relationship and _us_ as a friendship."

Yami can hear the sound of his heart shattering inside his chest. He opens his mouth yet nothing comes out, even though he wants to stop him, even though his thoughts are racing and all he can think is, _No, no! Don't go, I need you!_

Yugi moves towards the door, his steps slow, as if he were giving Yami time to stop him. "Thank you for your time," he says, like this is some kind of business meeting that went awfully wrong.

Yami's feelings are mixed. He wants to allow Yugi to walk away, to move on, even if it means never seeing him again—knowing that he's happy and safe will be enough to him. But the greater part of him wants to stop him from leaving, to pull him into his arms and say, _Please never leave. Please never walk away from me, I'll die without you._

And maybe he doesn't exactly listen to that greater part.

But he does so more than he listens to the first.

He reaches out and grasps Yugi's wrist in his fingers just as the boy is about to walk out.

"What're you—"

Yami's lips are covering Yugi's before he has any time to state his objections. Yami's hands move to cup Yugi's face between them, and Yugi sighs and melts into the kiss, his fingers soft and light over Yami's waist, both of them just holding each other close.

When they finally pull apart after what seemed like an eternity even though it was just a couple of seconds, they lean their foreheads together, their positions remaining the same, and Yami notices that Yugi's crying, tears coming out of his healthy eye.

"Why?" Yugi asks. Yami doesn't need to ask what he means.

"You don't need me," he repeats, almost in a monotone voice, like it's the only answer his mouth can pronounce.

"That's not true," Yugi says, closing his eyes and just breathing. He's not only claiming Yami's statement is false—he's also claiming Yami's lying again.

"I don't know."

"Yami, I'm not stupid. I see the way you look at me in school. Give it another try."

"What do you want me to tell you?"

"The truth. That's all I want."

Yami bites his lip. "I can't tell you that."

"Why not?" Yugi whispers, his voice low and small. "We've always been honest with each other," he says, and he's got a good point. "Yami, _please."_

"I meant it when I said you don't need me," Yami tells him, and he continues before Yugi can interfere. "You need someone _better."_

"What are you talking about? What do you mean, someone better?" Yugi demands as Yami pulls away from him, walking over to the edge of the bed. "Wait," Yugi starts, and Yami can see in his eyes how realization hits him all of a sudden. "Does this… does this have to do with the—"

"The hate crime," he finishes, his eyes getting watery.

"But that's not what you tell people who ask you why we're not together!"

"I'm not going to go around telling everyone that asks me that I'm not good enough!"

"Good enough for what, to be what?" Yugi questions, his voice rising.

"To be your boyfriend!" Yami screams, his tone matching Yugi's. "I wasn't there for you and you almost got killed!"

"But I didn't!"

"But you almost did!"

"Why are you making such a big deal out of this?"

"Because it _is_ a big deal!"

"It's not! Look at me, Yami!" Yugi gestures to himself, his hands wildly signaling himself up and down. "I'm fine, Yami, look at me, I'm fine! I'm not a freaking porcelain doll, you know, I'm not going to break just because some people beat me up!"

"That eye proves the contrary!" Yami yells, pointing at the bandage wrapped around half of Yugi's face. "You don't know how worse it can get! And I don't, either! Neither of us knows what's going to happen! We don't know if, if tomorrow o next week or, or in a month, it'll happen again and, and this time they won't stop! And if I couldn't be there for, for you in that moment, then I—"

"You _were_ there for me!" Yugi interrupts him. "I got out of that as, as _good_ as I did because you were there for me when I needed you!"

"I was too late!"

"No, you weren't! And if you c-could be a little clearer in what you're trying to tell me, that'd be great, because I still can't completely figure it out!" Yugi cries, his voice shaking.

"I don't want to lose you!"

"We're back to square one, Yami! Then why did you—"

"_Because I love you!"_

And that's that.

Silence.

An irritably awkward silence full of gasping and trying to control breaths.

They'd never told each other "I love you."

"Y-you…" Yugi mutters. "You… what?"

But Yami doesn't seem to pay as much attention as Yugi to his words. He sits on the bed, his elbows resting on his knees and his head buried in his hands. "It's like with Becky," he mumbles miserably. "I couldn't protect her," he stammers, sobs drowning his words and making him stumble through them. "I couldn't protect her and she died. It… it _devastated_ me, Yugi. I-I can't risk losing you too or I'll… I'll _die_." He's crying now. He feels the hot, salty tears marking his skin as they roll down his cheeks.

"Is that why you broke up with me?" Yugi asks softly, his voice back to normal.

Yami nods slightly, just a tiny nod of his head. "You need someone… who can protect you," he muses. "And… I-I'd rather not be with you than lose you."

Yugi's suddenly kneeling in front of him, his hands on Yami's knees. "Yami," he calls sweetly, and the older boy lifts his head from his palms, fingers resting over Yugi's. "You can't protect me from everything," he states. "Sometimes I'll get hurt, sometimes you'll get hurt, but it's part of life," he says simply, turning his hands so that he can interlace their fingers together. "They're experiences you learn from, both good and bad. "You're beating yourself up over something you have no control of."

Yami smiles wryly, sniffling a little.

"Besides," Yugi continues, "think about it. Rebecca wouldn't want you to be like this; not now that you've finally made peace with yourself and her death." He cups Yami's face between his hands and kisses his forehead. "You know how I wasn't scared when I got out of the hospital?" A shake of the head from the boy sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Because I knew I'd have you. I knew that, as long as I was with you, nothing could really bring me down. I would always manage to stand up again, with you holding my hand to help me up."

His best friend laughs then, a bit high and nervous, and he rests his chin on Yugi's forehead. "I'm sorry," Yami murmurs, tears streaming down his eyes. "I'm so sorry for hurting us both."

"It's okay," the boy whispers. "It's okay now."

"I love you."

He pulls away to stare at his best friend, and through the tears in Yami's eyes, he sees it: love. Even though it's young, it's not only the head-over-heels-for-you love—it's also the I-just-can't-leave-without-you love. Yami swallows heavily, but he doesn't say anything else. He's not pressuring Yugi into saying "I love you" back. He's just putting his feelings out in the table.

Yugi smiles and leans their foreheads together. "I love you too." Because he does, he does, it's the truest fact in his entire life.

Yami wraps his arms around Yugi's neck as Yugi holds Yami's back, his palms pressing to his spine so much it almost hurts, except the closeness between them has never been this emotionally strong and they love to have the feeling of being inside each other's arms again. They hug and kiss and laugh and cry together, lying on Yami's bed, hands caressing faces and lithe fingers squeezing at necks and shoulders and chins.

They whisper "I love you" to each other so much that they lose count after a while.

Life has never been more beautiful.

* * *

_(A/N: Life does seem beautiful, doesn't it? Freaking hell, that was long. BTW, who wants to celebrate the new Glee episode? In any case, I'm dead so I'll be buried in my room.)_


	16. Chapter 16

_(A/N: I seriously don't want to keep apologizing, but I'm so, so, SO incredibly sorry for taking so long with this chapter! It's not even that great to begin with. But I have good news! I have a perfect idea of what next chapter's gonna be about, and I can probably have it by Christmas, on the 26th at the latest! Hopefully it makes up for the lack of Puzzleshipping writing in the last month or so._

_WARNINGS: Not really any. There's a TINY, TINY bit of angst. Seriously, you may not even notice it, I tried to make it as fluffy as possible because I missed these two as much as you all did! I also tried to make it realistic, and what happens here, I've only seen it happen on one of the scenarios on ABC's What Would You Do?, so I don't know if it could really occur... Enjoy, my loyal readers! Thank you so much for your patience!  
_

_Disclaimer: Too bad, but I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of its characters!)_

* * *

**Chapter 16**

The first time they're kicked out of a public place nearly gets Yami arrested.

It's Yugi's birthday, and the only thing Yami wanted was to take him out to his favorite restaurant as his birthday wish (and call both of their parents so that they could come, too) to have a nice dinner and spend some time together in celebration of Yugi turning seventeen. It wasn't much to ask.

Unfortunately, the restaurant thought it was.

Everything had been fine—they'd sat down, ordered, chatted for a while, waiting for their parents to arrive—until Yami had leaned in and kissed Yugi's cheek, the one with the scar resulting from a cut he received the day of the beating; he still has his bandage wrapped around half of his face. Their waiter had just come back with their drinks, and he stopped so abruptly that Yami asked him if there was something wrong.

"I'm sorry, but, are you two together?" the waiter asked.

"Yes," Yami answered immediately. "Why?"

"Excuse me, but I'll have to ask you to leave."

"Wait, what?" Yugi demanded. "Why's that?"

"Our manager has a strict policy about not accepting your kind into our restaurant."

"I'm, I'm sorry," Yami frowned, standing up, "_our_ kind?

"Sir—"

"If either of us was dressed as a girl, you wouldn't be kicking us out, now would you?"

"Yami, hey…" Yugi stood up as well, taking Yami's arm. "Let's not cause a scene, all right? It's okay, we can go eat somewhere else—"

"No, it's not okay," Yami replied as he held Yugi's hand. "You should be allowed to eat in your favorite restaurant on your special day, and even if it weren't, this is just not fair."

People were beginning to stare now. Yami sort of expected them to say something, whether it was to defend them or the waiter, just so that he didn't feel like this was only their battle, but no one said a word. Everybody simply glanced at them out of the corners of their eyes before returning to their meals, always keeping them within their sight range.

"Sir, if you do not leave," the waiter threatened as some clients started whispering between themselves, "I'll be forced to call the authorities."

"That won't be necessary," Yugi said, and he began to drag Yami away from the table. "Yami, c'mon, let's go."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Yami breathes in as he tries to calm his anger. He seriously wanted to punch that guy in the face, maybe ask to speak with the manager to punch him as well. "Your kind." What's that all about? It's not like they're freaks or, or weirdoes or… they're _normal_ people, for God's sake. It's so ridiculous that they were kicked out of Yugi's favorite restaurant just because they happen to like boys instead of girls. So if two girls walk in and happen to kiss each other—on the mouth, because for some reason invented hundreds of years ago, women are allowed to be more affectionate than men—they'll be kicked out, too?

"Mom, Mom, I honestly don't mind… I know it's my birthday, but seriously—Mom…"

Yugi's on the phone attempting to calm his mother down. Amelia is as angry as Yami, but she's threatening to press charges and sue the restaurant. Yugi tells her it's not necessary. He doesn't want to cause trouble, and he keeps saying that it doesn't matter that it's his birthday and that all he truly wants is to spend quality time with his family and his boyfriend.

"We can go eat some other place… What if I call you later? Yeah? Okay, I'll see you later. Love you too, Mom."

Yugi sighs and sits down on the bench where Yami's at with his arms resting back, leaning his head back. "Did you convince her of giving up?"

"Yeah," he says, his eyes closed. "So much for a birthday dinner."

"I could've handled that guy."

"And make him call the police? It wasn't worth it, Yami."

"The hell it wasn't!" Yami exclaims, managing to catch himself before he explodes. He's so, _so_ angry because what happened in there was simply _bullshit_, and he's not one to use that language but _damn it_. He groans in fury and buries his head on his hands.

"Yami?" Yugi calls him softly, almost shyly. Then he wraps one of his arms over Yami's shoulders and pulls him closer, his other hand resting softly on Yami's arm. "Hey, it's okay."

"It's not." Yami's voice is muffled by his hands, but Yugi can clearly hear the frustration in it.

"We knew it wouldn't be easy," Yugi reminds him, leaning his head against him. "And maybe we'll have it rough for a couple more years, even decades. But someday it'll be better. I promise."

Yami lets his arms drop from his face to rest on his thighs. "You can't promise that, Yugi." He smiles ruefully, but it's a smile, nonetheless.

"Okay, I can't," Yugi admits, chuckling slightly. "But I'm sure of it. I'm sure one day it'll get better for people like us."

"I hope so," Yami says. "I want to believe it too."

They remain in silence, the only sound being their breathings against each other's before Yami speaks again. "What did the doctor say about your eye? Is it getting better?"

Yugi's hand moves to his bandaged eye almost automatically. His last visit to the hospital was yesterday, and he was too tired to give details to his boyfriend, so he promised to do so today. "He said we have to wait for a while more. The ointment he gave me is supposed to make it better, but he also said that I might lose sight on it completely."

Yami grips his hand. He knows Yugi's trying to be strong, trying to hide the fact that he's scared. The idea of losing one of his eyes terrifies him, and Yami can't exactly blame him. He gives his hand a comforting squeeze.

"It'll turn out just fine," he says, praying that it happens that way.

They get up from the bench and start walking, one of Yami's arms around Yugi's shoulders while one of Yugi's circles Yami's waist.

* * *

"Are we going to walk random and endlessly until it's time to go home?"

"What, you don't like it?"

"I never said that. I was merely wondering. It's sort of relaxing, to be honest, being away from everything."

"It's kind of nice, isn't it?"

They've walked for a while now, half an hour, perhaps. Their path led them to a park, trees surrounding them and birds chirping as the sun starts setting. From time to time, Yami turns his head and presses a kiss into Yugi's hair, to which Yugi giggles and leans into his embrace. Being close to each other is more than enough for them, especially without ugly glances and whispers.

"It's getting late, though," Yugi says. He's loved this up to now, but his mother may be expecting him home by now.

"Let's take you home, birthday boy."

The walk home is like the one at the park—quiet, simple, calm, and comforting, and it's only interrupted when Yami apologizes for not being able to grant Yugi the one wish he wanted. "Yami, seriously, don't worry, it's fine."

"I just…" Yami shrugs. "I mean, you just wanted to be taken there to have dinner. And I couldn't make it happen because I _had_ to kiss you." He laughs before turning to Yugi. "This is all your fault."

"My fault?" Yugi repeats, a flirty smile on his lips. "How come it's my fault?"

"You're irresistibly adorable," Yami responds, his voice serious but his eyes twinkling with humor. "See, you make certain impulse light up inside me. I have to kiss you every time I can, it's impossible for me to resist it." As if to prove it, he cups Yugi's cheek and presses a kiss to the tip of his nose. "See? Impossible."

"_You're_ impossible," Yugi laughs, playfully punching Yami's arm. Then he sighs, yet the smile remains. "Honestly, though, I'd rather be here with you than back in there without being able to hold your hand or kiss you." This time it's him who cups Yami's cheek and kisses his nose.

"Yeah," his boyfriend agrees. "Me too."

* * *

They end up having a family dinner at Yugi's place, the Atemu family invited, right before Amelia brings in a cake she baked herself. They talk and laugh and eat and have a piece of cake for dessert, all of them together, and at one point, Yami lowers his eyes. He remembers Rebecca, remembers the last family dinner they had together, the day before she was found dead. But he quickly pushes that memory away and instead wonders how she would react if she were here, if she was sitting next to him. She'd probably try to embarrass Yami in front of Yugi, because no matter how much she loved him, she was still his little sister.

Remembering Rebecca also makes him remember 'mini-me.' He's been gone for some time now, probably because he hasn't needed him anymore. Yami's not sure of how it works. 'Mini-me' was sort of a younger version of himself—the version of himself while Becky was alive—that was always by his side to remind him of what, _who_ he was.

Perhaps the little fellow's gone because Yami doesn't need someone else to remind him that.

Yami wonders if he'll see him again. Maybe one of these days he'll pop back into his mind with a _SQUEEE!_ He doesn't doubt it. In fact, he kind of wishes it.

For now, though, he tries not to laugh at the embarrassing baby stories Mr. and Mrs. Mutou tell him and his parents as they sit on the living room about their son, Yugi next to him, groaning as his head falls forward in his hands, begging them to "please, _stop_ it already!" But Yami loves every single one of them—he feels like it helps him get to know Yugi better.

It doesn't matter if for now, he can't take his boyfriend to his favorite restaurant for his birthday or hold his hand or kiss him at certain public places without getting kicked out. For now, he's content with being able to hold him tightly to him as Yugi buries his face on Yami's chest and pleads with him not to laugh at him.

And he wouldn't have it any other way.


	17. Chapter 17

_(A/N: I OWED you this chapter. In fact, I'm sure I must owe you AT LEAST like five chapters. It's a long story. I updated the 22nd, got sick on the 23rd -thus, I didn't write ANYTHING- then the 24th rolled around and I got an iPod, so I got like, carried away with that. I wanted to do a Christmas chapter, but then it was almost New Year. I tried to write a New Year's chapter and thought of nothing. Came up with nothing, more likely. _

_In fewer words, I didn't know what to write until like, two hours ago. So here you go! And I hope you like it! I'll try to have next chapter done by Sunday! I have a fair idea of what's going to be about! -I KNOW I SAID THAT LAST TIME, BUT I GOT SICK AND THEN IT WAS WRITER'S BLOCK, OKAY?- Enjoy! :D_

_Disclaimer: Nothing in here belongs to me. Except the plot. Partially. I get inspiration from numerous things.)  
_

* * *

**Chapter 17**

The first time Yugi dreams of a future with Yami, it's a little something like this:

He's standing right outside a house that doesn't seem to be that big of a deal, but he recognizes it as the house he drew when he was in seventh grade and the art teacher asked them to do a painting of where they'd like to live when they grew up. It's nothing special, indeed: walls made out of wood painted with a dark brown, three steps forming a porch right outside the door, a beige railing surrounding the construction.

He absolutely loves seeing it come to life… somewhat.

It's not the first time Yugi has dreamt about his future. He's learned to recognize the dreams, because in all of them, he's standing in front of the house he painted, and it's as if he were watching a movie—he can't do anything but _stare,_ almost like a ghost. He doesn't know where his house is built, not really. Maybe because he doesn't really care as long as it is just the way he imagined it.

He walks through the door—_literally_ walks through it—and glances around at the insides; the squared dining table with four chairs, the three couches in the living room, the walls framed with blurry pictures he can't quite decipher. Then he waits until the movie goes on.

In past dreams, Yugi saw himself, but he never saw more than silhouettes around him—two, to be precise. Even if they spoke, he wouldn't be able to recognize the voices, like they were part of his imagination or characters in a book. When you're reading, you can't exactly _hear_ what the characters sound like. You try to read their words in a voice you know. And there relied the problem: none of the voices Yugi had ever heard before. Heck, even if he himself spoke, he never actually understood what he was saying—where they names? Meaningless words? The chemicals for something that hadn't been invented?

Without regarding the silhouettes, Yugi was somewhat aware of the "plot" of his movie. He was hosting a small birthday party. One of the silhouettes helped him while the other one was the receiver of the party. He also knew what the cake looked like: covered in frosting and icing of different tones of blue, red, yellow, combined and scattered as if to create a rainbow cake. Even though it was lit with candles, and they didn't burn _that_ bright, Yugi could never count how many there were, to get an idea of how many years the silhouette had.

But this time, as his dream self (and older version of himself) walks down the stairs to the first store, he perfectly hears him say:

"Yami, hurry up, Mom will drop her by any minute now!"

_Yami?_

Before, it'd only sounded like one of those really old radios that were always losing signal, so all he could listen to was, "… hurry up… —drop… any minute…" Not anymore.

He almost trips when he staggers back as an also older version of Yami rushes down the stairs, both hands trying desperately to get the tie around his neck done. "I know, I know!" he cries. "If I could just…"

Yugi turns to him and laughs playfully. "Oh, dear," he says, striding towards Yami and taking both of his hands away from his neck. "Here, let me." He quickly, easily, gets the tie done before patting it once softly against Yami's chest. "There, all done!"

Yami smiles at him, and even from a distance, Yugi can see that it makes his dream self blush, no matter how many years it's been.

The dream ripples for a moment, and in the next one, Yugi finds the dream versions of himself and Yami in the dining table, placing the candle-lit cake over it—in front of a little girl.

A little girl that has Yugi's _eyes,_ except they're darker, the almost look black, and a bit of his blond hair, he recognizes in the dark golden color of her mass of curls. She's more than cute, more than adorable, more than pretty. She's stunningly beautiful in her gorgeous red dress, especially for a girl so young. For the first time, Yugi can count seven candles atop the cake.

The girl's clapping excitedly, screeching in glee as Yami and Yugi sing "Happy Birthday" to her. From the song, he discovers that the name of the girl is Vivianna.

"Blow out the candles, baby girl," Yami says, an arm wrapped around Yugi's shoulders. Vivianna nods once to herself, closes her eyes for a few seconds, and then she takes a deep breath to blow the candles on her cake out. The three of them cheer and clap. In a flash, she leans down and takes a bite straight out of the cake, which makes Yami call her name in mocking surprise. Yugi laughs but says no more at the grin in her face.

"What'd you wish for, princess?" Yugi asks her, but Vivianna shakes her head in horror.

"I can't tell you!" she says. "You know that if I tell you it won't come true, Daddy!"

Daddy?

_Daddy? _Yugi repeats inside his head. _This girl is my… she's my and Yami's…_

"Well said!" Yami's older version exclaims, moving to the girl and lifting her in his arms before she can protest. He carries her upside-down, the back of her head touching his stomach as her legs wiggle next to his face. "Daddy was testing you to make sure you hadn't forgotten!"

"Papa!" Vivianna cries between fits of laughter. "Papa, put me down! Or I'll throw up the cake I just ate!"

"Oh, no, we can't have that!" Yami says, turning her so that she's looking at him. "The birthday girl can't throw up on the beautiful dress Grandma Chiyoko sewed for her!"

Her laughter slows down to a couple of giggles, her arms around Yami's neck to steady herself in his arms. "Is this why you left me with Grandma Amelia? To give me a surprise birthday cake?"

"Aw, you figured out our plan!" Yugi says, pressing a hand to his head in a dramatic attempt at a face-slap. "Well, I guess you also know about your _other_ surprise now."

Vivianna perks up immediately, wriggling in Yami's grasp. "Another surprise? I get another surprise? Really?"

"Ah, so _that's_ still a secret!" Yami grins at her, poking her nose. He kneels down and leaves her standing on the floor, him crouching beside her.

"What is it? What is it?" the girl repeats over and over above Yugi's chuckling. He has one arm around his abdomen and the other one's hand covering his mouth, trying to hide a smile.

"If we tell you, it won't be a surprise, now will it?"

"Is it outside, Papa?" She turns to Yami, but he pretends not to see her and turns his head around to look at anywhere but her. "Papa! Papa, it's outside, right? _Papa!_" Yami's stronger than he looks. He doesn't give in, and Vivianna realizes she can't beat him. She decides to try with Yugi. "Daddy, Daddy, is it outside?"

As Yugi finds out, his lack of resistance towards children will follow him when he grows older. "Yes, princess," his dream self responds. "It's in the backyard."

"Oh, boy, oh, boy, oh, boy!" Vivianna yells joyfully, her arms spread over her head as she dashes through the front door.

"You've never been able to resist her," Yami jokes once he and the older version of Yugi are alone. He stands up and takes him in his arms, his hands resting on the small of his back. "You do realize that you're spoiling her that way, right?"

"Oh, _please_, like _you_ never spoil her," Yugi replies, playfully smacking Yami's chest. "Remember you're the one who thought of a second surprise for her, not me."

"Yeah, well—" Yami shrugs nonchalantly before he leans down and kisses Yugi, smiling against his lips. The kiss doesn't last long, but as they pull apart, they're breathless. "She's my baby girl. I believe I'm allowed to spoil her."

"_Our_ baby girl," Yugi adds, a shy smile across his face.

"Our baby girl." The dream images of he and Yami kiss again one last time before the image ripples and vanishes completely.

When Yugi wakes up the next day, he feels slightly confused. He feels like he shouldn't be thinking about marriage right now, about _marrying_ his first boyfriend and having a family with him. Not when he's in high school. Not when he's barely seventeen. Gee, what kind of guy thinks about those things when he's seventeen? He's supposed to be thinking of getting out of high school, getting out of the "nest" to embark on his journey as independent of his parents, find himself a job and settle somewhere nice and relatively quiet.

Then he remembers his dream, remembers how he'd never known who was in his life as a grown-up until last night. He remembers how happy he looked. He remembers how happy Yami looked, how happy their _daughter_ looked, God, they had a _daughter_.

Yugi knows he can't see the future. He can't tell himself that what he saw in his dreams will become a reality, that he'll live in the house he's always wanted with the man he loves and a girl with dark golden curls and eyes so obscure they're almost black, wearing a red dress sewn by her grandmother on her seventh birthday.

But he definitely wouldn't mind if what he saw _did_ turn out to be his future.

Not at all.

And who knew, maybe he would tell Yami everything he thought one of these days.


	18. Chapter 18

_(A/N: Didn't I say I'd have this by Sunday? And I got it earlier, actually! Thank you, determination! _

_Anyway, I'm starting school on Monday, and I honestly have NO idea of what next chapter will be about, or WHEN it'll be about, so... the most I can tell you is to enjoy these two last chapters, 'cause I probably won't update in a while... so sorry about that! Okay, no, I have a VERY vague idea of what it'll be about. But if anyone wants to suggest something, go ahead and I'll take it into consideration for further chapters! :D_

_Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of its characters. But wouldn't it be fun if I did? Hope you like it!)  
_

* * *

**Chapter 18**

The first time they actually talk about their futures, Yugi doesn't mention his dream about his with Yami and mostly just lets his boyfriend talk.

It's not that he doesn't want to, it's just… to be blunt, he's a little afraid. A little afraid that if he tells Yami he had a dream in which they were married and living together (with a daughter, to add to everything), Yami will think that maybe they're moving a little too fast—which they're _not_—and tell him that they need space. And Yugi knows that "space" doesn't have the same meaning when you're in a relationship, and he doesn't need a repeat of what happened when he was beaten up.

Their plans for the afternoon hadn't been exactly to talk about the coming years, but since Yugi had woken up, he'd felt the need to talk of them, to say out loud what he wanted to do with his life. Of course, cautiously avoiding mentioning his dream.

They'd been watching an old movie on TV about this town where no one was allowed to dance or something like that when Yugi suddenly asked, "Do you know what you want to do after high school?"

Yami was taken aback, truth be told. They'd been leaning lazily against the feet of Yugi's bed, almost lying down on the floor, and he sat up straight, scratching the back of his neck. "Yeah, I… I kind of do, yes."

Yugi likes to hear Yami's plans for the future. He'd already sort of imagined what they would be like, but hearing them straight from his boyfriend's mouth just confirms and denies all of his suspicions.

"I really want to be a musician," Yami starts, arms resting over his drawn-up knees. "Well, a composer, actually. I want to be able to create my own music and share it with the rest of the world. There are good universities here in Japan, but I don't know if I should consider options _outside_ of Japan…"

"Wouldn't it be better if you stayed here?" Yugi asks, lying on his back on the floor, looking up at Yami. "I mean, I'm not saying you _can't_ take other universities into consideration."

"I don't know." Yami shrugs, his eyes staring at the ceiling as if in deep thought. "I'm pretty sure my parents would support me if I wanted to go overseas…"

He leaves the sentence hanging, clearly unsure whether he should continue or not. "But…?" Yugi prodded, inciting him to go on.

"But I can't bring myself to leave my parents behind. I mean, in another country. I've thought about how it would be like for them if I left… and I can't stop thinking about my sister."

Ah. Yugi nods, mostly because he'd already figured it would have something to do with Rebecca.

"They've already lost a child," Yami says, a little sigh escaping his lips. "I don't want them to feel like they're losing another one."

Yugi stays silent for a couple of seconds before he speaks up. "Well, whatever you choose at the end, I'm sure it'll work out." He pats one of his boyfriend's knees in reassurance, which makes Yami smile at him in return. "What about the other aspects in your life?"

Yami cocks his head to the side, looking at Yugi. "What do you mean?"

"You know what you want to do regarding school," Yugi answers. "But, I mean, have you thought about where you want to live? Or about your first job or…?"

"Not exactly," Yami tells him in the middle of a yawn. "I'm not sure if I'll get a job as soon as I finish college. My mom's told me that a musician's life is rough at the beginning, even more for a composer."

"Everyone's life is tough at the beginning." Yami's smile turns into a grin, and he playfully pokes Yugi's side, causing him to giggle.

"Yes, but not everyone's life comes along a bunch of people telling you you're going to starve to death for years."

Yugi immediately sits up. The half-smile on Yami's face means he was probably kissing, but his words come from a place of truth, from someone who actually spoke them to him. "Whoever told you that?"

"A couple of friends of my parents'. He didn't say those words, but that's what my mind understood. It was a long time ago, when Becky was still with us. Some adult asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I told him I wanted to compose music. Later, I heard him telling my parents I wouldn't amount to anything if I didn't change my mind." He shrugs as if it were no big deal. "Like I said, it was a long time ago."

"No one should say that," Yugi nearly snaps, suddenly very interested in the fabric of his shirt. "Instead of trying to bring down a kid for what he wants to do, adults should encourage them."

Yami blinks at Yugi, out of shock more than anything. He finds it weird and a little bit off that Yugi would get so upset about this. "Hey, hey," he says softly, his legs bending and crossing underneath him. "Yugi, it doesn't matter."

"Of course it matters!" Yugi exclaims a little too loudly. "The world is cruel enough, there's no need for people to push you to the ground." His hand moves up to his bandaged eye as if on instinct, as if it was a natural, automatic reaction. And then it dawns on Yami that his boyfriend is not just saying how cruel the world is—he's referring to how cruel the world is to people like _them_, and how they don't need to be pushed down in other aspects besides their sexuality.

Yami leans down and kisses Yugi's bandaged eye, smiling against it. "You're with me right now," he says. Before Yugi can look at him with a confused expression for merely stating the obvious, he continues, "And as long as you are, that's the only thing I need to move forward."

Yugi can't help the almost girly giggle he lets out at that.

"Now that we've talked about _my_ plans," Yami says, leaning back against the feet of the bed. "What are _your_ plans, Mr. Mutou?"

Yugi blushes a little. Of course he has his own plans, but he's trying to figure out a way to avoid mentioning his dream—which is not an easy feature to realize. The images of an older him and an older Yami living together with a girl of their own have been floating around his head ever since he woke up from his slumber.

"I'm assuming you want to be an artist when you get out of high school?"

"I'm not sure," he answers in all honesty. "I could be an artist, but I could also make the glass figurines my dad taught me to."

"Like my flower," Yami murmurs, and Yugi nods, a shy smile across his face.

"Thinking about it, though," he goes on, "I could be _both_. After all, I need to be an artist to design the figurines…"

"I applaud your way of thinking, sir," his boyfriend says, and whether he's serious or kidding, Yugi laughs and playfully smacks his arm. "Why do you like to make those figurines so much? Not that I'm saying it's wrong or anything, I'm just curious."

"Well," Yugi starts. "It's…" He laughs then, turning his head to look away. "It's silly, actually."

"I told you my plans," Yami complains with a slightly childish pout. "Now you have to tell me yours. No backing out!"

Yugi laughs, and then he smiles before continuing. "The first time I saw one of them was when I was little, maybe five or six. My dad had just finished making one as an idea for the toy shop he worked at. He showed it to me and I…" He takes a deep breath, like he's trying to stop the racing heartbeat inside his ribcage. "It was so beautiful, I felt like gazing at it meant gazing at the world from a completely different point of view." His smile widens. "And I thought that if I could make other people feel that way, it would be amazing."

Yami nods thoughtfully, a smile of his own plastered on his lips. "I think you'll have no problem with that."

His boyfriend remembers when he gave Yami the flower he spent days designing and hours working on. Of course, if you had practice, like his father, you could make something much more complicated in less than ten minutes. Still, he remembers his reaction, recalls with nearly perfect detail the way the shock took over his face and the way he took him in his arms and swung him around.

And with that memory on the top of his head, Yugi has managed to forget about his dream.

At least for now and until he's ready to tell Yami about it.


	19. Chapter 19

_(A/N: January 21st. JANUARY 21ST. I'm so embarrassed and ashamed and this is UTTER CRAP that doesn't deserve to be uploaded, I had an entirely different idea of what this chapter was going to be, but my hands said SCREW IT and began to type something else. SIGHS. I'm so sorry for this. It's short and lame and not uploading-material. For those of you still here, thank you for being patient with me. I'm going to hide my face under a rock now._

_I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)_

* * *

**Chapter 19**

The first time Yami thinks about having a future with Yugi, he ends up asking his Mom for advice.

Frankly, Yami had never begun to wonder who he was going to spend the rest of his life with. Not until he met Yugi. And even then, he couldn't get a clear image in his head because he didn't know that much about him.

But lately, since their chat about the future, that's all that's been in Yami's head. The same day they discussed their plans for college and jobs, Yami went back home and lied down in his bed, wondering what would become of Yugi and him after high school, which, he remembered, they hadn't talked about. Would they still be together if they went to different colleges? Because it would be terribly difficult for them to go to the same one, considering the careers they want to pursue.

Imagining they were still a couple after college, would they stay together then? They love each other, that's for sure, and after what they've been through, it's hard to think they could break up. But it's not impossible. It could happen at some point.

Yami had all these thoughts running around his head the entire night, stopping him from getting any actual sleep. He visualized the two of them around five or six years later, and their future selves were exactly the way they are today—he saw them as they spent a day together: going for an ice cream cone, going to the movies, taking a stroll at the park.

Then he saw them even more years further, surrounded by people he didn't recognize; there were relatives of his and Yugi's family, so his mind was probably coming up with the picture of a fictional reunion. The point was that Yami perfectly visualized a future with Yugi, even when they hadn't been together for more than a couple of months now.

Is it normal, or is it naïve—dreaming with being in the same relationship for the rest of his life?

Then again, it's happened to a lot of couples, hasn't it? His parents met in high school, and while they broke up and went out with different people, they eventually found their way back to each other. Of course, they had fights and there were nights when Dad would go spend the night at his sister's, but what couple doesn't go through that? And what matters is that at the end, they got married and had a beautiful family. And when Rebecca died, a lot of people thought they'd get a divorce, or blame each other, but they actually grew a lot stronger and, after all these years, began to learn how to deal with it together.

Yami doesn't know if he wants to have kids, someday. But he does know that he'd like to spend his life with Yugi. Or most of it, at least. He doesn't see himself having a future with anybody else.

* * *

"Mom?"

Chiyoko is sitting on the couch, a little pad on her lap and a pencil in her hand. She's been trying to compose the music for one of Mamoru's poems, but so far, she hasn't had any luck. She looks up at her son as he sits down next to her. "Yes, dear?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, darling." She sets down the pad. "What is it?"

Yami's a little nervous to ask. He doesn't want to make it seem like he doubts the love his parents felt for each other the first time they started dating. "When you first met my dad," he begins, "did you know you'd get married to him?"

Chiyoko blinks twice. She definitely wasn't expecting this question. "You mean, if I knew he'd be my husband the first time I saw him?"

Yami nods.

She laughs a little. "Well, no, not exactly."

"What do you mean?"

"See, Yami," Chiyoko says, sitting sideways so that she can look directly at her son. "You know your father and I met when we were in high school, right? He was a junior and I was a sophomore. Nearly every girl at school had a crush on your father. He was the guy everyone wanted to be like, hang out with, be friends with… Even when we started dating, I couldn't believe he'd chosen _me_ to be his girlfriend. Anyway, we stayed together until the next year, when he graduated. We decided a long-distance relationship wouldn't work between us, so we broke up."

"But why did you decide it wouldn't work?" Yami asks, mimicking his mother's position on the couch. "You didn't love each other?"

Chiyoko looks up at the ceiling, lost in her memories. "Of course we loved each other, but we didn't realize how much just yet."

"So you regretted breaking up?"

"We sure did," she answers him. "It was a horrible year for the both of us, let me tell you that. I tried dating other people, but it always ended after a few days. I missed your father like I had never missed anyone before." Chiyoko's voice turns sad, and Yami feels like reaching out for her hand and squeezing it, so he does just that. She smiles slightly before continuing. "While your dad was away, studying overseas, I was finishing high school. We both had wanted to study the same thing, so I thought I could try to get in an exchange program, just like he had. But when I graduated, your father was back for me."

"Wait, wait," Yami interrupts, the gears turning in his head. "My dad came back for you?"

"Yes," Chiyoko says. "He told me he couldn't stand being away without me. And to make the story short, dear, we dated again and found out we wanted to be together for a long time."

"But how did you know you weren't making a mistake?" Yami questions. It's great to hear his parents felt the same way he feels about Yugi now, but his mom still hasn't answered his original question. "How did you know he was the love of your life?"

"I didn't," she tells him, and he raises an eyebrow in confusion. She continues before he can speak. "Yami, you _can't_ know these things. You may feel like there's no one else you'll be happy with other than Yugi, but nothing guarantees you'll get married in a future."

"You and Dad did," Yami points out.

"Yes, but we weren't sure of it," Chiyoko replies. "What I'm trying to tell you, sweetie," she says, squeezing back his hand, "is that you just let what is bound to happen, happen. You'll know whether you and Yugi are meant to be together or not when the time comes for you to find out."

"I just…" He shakes his head. "I just don't want to feel like I'm only living in a dream."

She leans in and kisses her son's forehead. "I don't want to give you false hope, Yami." Chiyoko stands up from the couch and turns to stare at him. "But with the way things have been between you two, I'm pretty sure you'll be glued by the hip for a couple more years."

As she leaves the living room, Yami can't help but smile to himself, his mother's words echoing in his ears.


	20. Chapter 20

_(A/N: I can only say sorry so many times before you guys get tired of hearing it. Anyway, I AM truly sorry. I've been really busy lately, and I also honestly had NO idea of what to continue this on. I mean, I didn't know what to write next. BUT. Since I've been such a crappy writer/updater, you get this chapter and you'll get a Christmas one on Monday. And I'll try to write another one for New Year's. To make up for the past half year without any signs of existence whatsoever. If you guys are still here, that is. I hope you are! And I hope you enjoy this! Also, WOW, the site HAS changed a lot! Jeesh!_

_Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh! It wouldn't have been as great a series as it was if I did.)_

* * *

**Chapter 20**

The first time they talk about either of them having kids is after Yugi undergoes his eye surgery.

He's wearing an eye patch and he's finally come down from the effects of the medicines the doctors at the hospital gave him. Yami has been taking care of him, sitting by his side since he was brought home after the surgery, every day after school. He was adorable—well, he's _always_ adorable, but he was even more—under the influence of the pills. Yami tried not to laugh, but this was a moment he'll never forget. And a moment he most likely will never tell Yugi about.

Except for when the occasion is appropriate.

Yugi awakes after having fallen asleep for about an hour. Yami is sitting by his bedside, working on the sheet music for a tune he's composing. November is ending, so Yugi shudders a little when he gets out of the comfort of his bed sheets to stretch his arms above his head.

"Hey," he says to Yami with a smile.

"Hey," Yami says back. "How do you feel?"

"Better," Yugi says. "I really want to take this eye patch off, though, to see if the surgery worked."

"I'm sure it did. How long do you have to wear it?"

"Two weeks," Yugi says.

"Don't worry," Yami tells him, reaching out to grab his hand. "It'll be gone in no time."

Yugi chuckles. "I sure hope so. I don't want to wear an eye patch on Christmas Eve."

Yami laughs at the idea of getting Yugi a Christmas-y eye patch. Maybe a green and red one, or one with a candy cane on it or something. "You're lucky I already have your present, because that gave me a _lot_ of ideas."

Yugi narrows his eyes, but he's smiling. "You didn't have to get me a present," he says.

"I wanted to." Yami shrugs like it's no big deal. He didn't really think about it. He always shops for Christmas early, because his parents would take him and Becky to choose what they wanted to get from Santa in mid-November.

"He needs to have a good idea of what you guys want to start building it!" his father would tell them as they ran throughout the aisles, screaming, "I'd like this! This one's awesome! Ooh, look at that one!"

So the habit kind of stuck. The year Becky died was particularly difficult. Yami didn't ask for anything except getting his sister back, and the only memories he possesses of that Christmas are tears and comforting from his parents. The year after was better, but only because they decided to try to forget about her instead of get over her, until he started getting presents for his parents. And while he was out a few days ago, he saw something he thought Yugi might like and got it without really thinking about it.

"Anyway," Yami says. "Two weeks are nothing compared to how long you waited for the surgery."

"Well, that was because we all thought a surgery might not be needed," Yugi says, and Yami nods. "But you're right. Two weeks aren't that long. Speaking about Christmas, though…"

"What?" When Yami turns to look at Yugi from his sheet music, Yugi's staring at the ceiling, his good eye wearing a lost expression, like he's not exactly here. "What is it?"

"You know how kids are always excited about Christmas?" Yugi asks, his eye still staring at the ceiling.

"Excuse me," Yami says. "I know I'm almost an adult, but I _still_ get excited about Christmas, thank you very much."

Yugi laughs and turns on his side to look at Yami. "I just…" He shrugs, as though he can't find the words to say what he wants to say. "I wonder what it's like for the parents. Seeing their children get so excited. Their faces lighting up when they open a present wrapped in pretty paper and bows to find exactly what they wished for."

Yami looks down at the sheet music on his lap, trying to recall some of his earlier memories, from Christmases where Becky was still with them. "You know," he says. "I never thought about it."

"I think it's worth it," Yugi says with a smile. "When I have kids, I want to see that. I want to see their faces lighting up like mine did—_does_."

Yami is a little taken aback by Yugi's words. "'When'? So you want to have kids?"

Yugi looks at him with a somewhat surprised and shocked expression. "You don't?"

"I…" He stops mid-sentence, not really sure of what to answer to that question. When he started seriously considering a future with Yugi, he wasn't sure if he wanted kids. Even now, he isn't. "I don't know," Yami says. "Out of curiosity, why do _you_ want to have kids?"

Yugi glances at his hand, the one Yami's holding, before he speaks. "I've always thought that having children is wonderful. It's growing close to someone who is very special from the beginning. It's kind of like meeting your special someone, all over again. You get to know this tiny person; what they like, what they don't, and you also get to be their teacher, their mentor, the one person they can rely on. And at the same time, you're creating a special bond that can't compare to anything else. And I think that _that_ is…" He shakes his head to himself. "Extraordinary."

Yami is breathless. He had never seen the relationship between a parent and their child the way he is now thanks to what Yugi just said. "Wow," he mutters. "There's really no other thing I can think of saying besides wow." Yugi laughs in disbelief.

"I'm sorry," he says between giggles. "That probably didn't make any sense—"

"No, no," Yami says, squeezing Yugi's hand. "I understood what you meant."

Yugi nods to himself, like he's proud that his words made sense instead of being a load of jibber jabber. "I'd like to be a parent and have all of that someday."

"Yeah," Yami says, mostly to himself. "It _would_ be nice, wouldn't it?" Yugi says nothing for a moment, but he's smiling. Yami looks at the time on his cell phone. "It's getting late," he says, standing up from the chair where he's sitting. "I should get going."

"Will you come by tomorrow?" Yugi asks innocently, holding his hands together and pouting slightly.

Yami scoffs. He leans down to kiss Yugi's forehead. "You know I will." Then he kisses Yugi's mouth, and when he pulls back, Yugi's grinning.

"Yes," he says. "I know you will. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Yugi. Sweet dreams."

"Sweet dreams, Yami."

* * *

As Yami lies awake in bed that night, he can't get Yugi's words out of his head.

_It's kind of like meeting your special someone, all over again. You get to know this tiny person; what they like, what they don't, and you also get to be their teacher, their mentor, the one person they can rely on. And at the same time, you're creating a special bond that can't compare to anything else._

A part of him cherishes the idea of having kids after his talk with Yugi, but another part of him is scared. When Rebecca died, he lost a sister, but his parents lost a daughter. How would he feel if he lost a child? His parents took _years_ to start getting over it. Would he be able to handle it?

Yami misses 'mini-me' in occasions like this. The little fellow would know what to say to him. He always knew exactly what to tell Yami to make him pull himself together. Yami believes, however, that the little guy would tell him that it's a risk he would have to take, like any parent does. One doesn't have a child to keep them tied to themselves at all times. One has a kid because they want what Yugi said he wants. They want to create that special bond between themselves and their son or daughter.

"Yugi will be an amazing father," Yami whispers into his empty room. Without thinking, he takes his cell phone and sends Yugi a text.

_Hey. You still awake?  
__-Yami_

A few seconds later, he gets a reply.

_Yep. Can't sleep. But that may be because I slept a lot today. You?  
__-Yugi_

_Can't sleep either. I was thinking about what you said earlier.  
__-Yami_

_What I said earlier in regards of…  
__-Yugi_

_In regards of having kids.  
__-Yami_

_Oh.  
__-Yugi_

_Did it help you in any way?  
__-Yugi_

_Yeah.  
__-Yami_

_So, do you have an answer now?  
__-Yugi_

_I think I do.  
__-Yami_

_And…? If it's not too much to ask, I mean.  
__-Yugi_

Yami's fingers hover above the keys. But he thinks back to today's events, and he finds himself typing his answer with a smile.

_I DO want to have kids someday.  
__-Yami_


	21. Chapter 21

_(A/N: Sorry, I know this is late because I promised you one for Christmas. I'M SORRY. I couldn't find the time to sit down and write this. Also, I'm leaving for Disneyland in like, an hour, and I'm not coming back until... tomorrow. Technically, because it's past midnight and I'm coming back on the 28th at around... three in the morning. Four? Somewhere in between. I'll try to get the New Year's one up as soon as I can, okay? I mean, I haven't written it yet, but I'll try to get it done ASAP and upload it ASAP, 'kay? Also, I GOT A NEW COMPUTER. WHOO HOO. _

_Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh! All characters (except for their parents, because I'm pretty sure those are mine) belong to Kazuki Takahashi.)_

* * *

**Chapter 21**

The first time they spend Christmas together looks more like a family reunion than any family reunion Yugi could have ever imagined.

Two weeks before Christmas Eve, he's allowed to take off his eye patch, but he still keeps his eye closed for fear of what he'll find once he opens it. Yami is in front of him, standing next to the doctor who will see if Yugi's eye is working just fine or if something went wrong with the surgery.

"Yugi, I need you to open your eye," the doctor says. Yugi bites his lip, and he turns to Yami with a worried look on his good eye.

"You can do it," Yami says. "It'll be okay."

Yugi lets out a heavy breath, and then he slowly opens his eye.

It's good as new.

He can't watch television or be in front of a computer for long, at least not yet, but that's the least of his worries. He's got his sight back, and he's incredibly thankful simply because of that.

Unlike Yami, Yugi doesn't do his Christmas shopping early. Since he doesn't want to be shopping for gifts a week away from Christmas Eve, he asks Yami if he would accompany him to get gifts for his parents. He knows exactly what he's going to get for them; at least, he knows what to get his father. His mother, on the other hand…

Yugi would like to get Yami a present, too. He hopes he can find something for him while Yami's distracted. If he can't, he'll just have to find time to shop for a gift for him on his own. Although they're on winter break, Yugi has to catch up on some things from school for the time he was resting after the surgery; maybe he can use that as an excuse if Yami asks him to hang out or something. Though Yami would probably offer to help him… He'll have to think of a better excuse once he gets to that bridge.

"What are you getting your parents, exactly?" Yami asks him.

"My dad needs some materials to make a new toy," Yugi says, looking around the toy shop they stopped by first. "He hasn't been able to find them in any store in the entire city, but I called a few days ago and this store had just received them. I asked them to save some for me to buy."

"What about your mom?"

"Her, I'm not so sure." He walks to the front register, where a girl seems to be reading some book with a boy with a sword and a tall figure with a bull's head on the cover. "Um, excuse me?" The girl looks up from her book, closing it with a small bookmark.

"May I help you?" she asks him. Her nametag reads Koko.

"My name is Yugi Mutou," Yugi says. "I called a few days ago about some materials—"

"Oh, yes!" Koko says with a smile. "I'll be right back with your materials, okay? It'll just be a moment!" She disappears behind a curtain set behind the register.

Yami steps next to Yugi, leaning back against the register. "These are some really cool toys," he says, a tiny small forming on his lips. "It reminds me of when Becky and I were little and we would play all day long with our toys. We used to share them. Well, some of them. Some were only hers and some were only mine."

"Really?" Yugi turns on his side to look at Yami. It always makes him happy that Yami's comfortable enough to talk about his sister with him. There are times in which he gets this sad, woeful look in his eyes, but he doesn't let that get to him anymore. Yugi's proud of him.

"Yeah. We were kind of weird, to be perfectly honest."

Yugi smiles. "It's not weird. You know, my parents didn't get me many toys, but that was because my dad used to make most of them. He would give me one to try it out, and if I liked it, I could keep it. My favorite one was a carrousel. I used to play with it all the time."

Koko comes back with a plastic back tied with a knot at the top. "Here you go, sweetie," she tells Yugi, handing it to him. Yugi thanks her, and he and Yami walk out of the store to look for a present for his mother.

"What does a lawyer need? I mean, I could get her a purse or a coat or something, but she's seriously passionate about her work. I think she would mostly appreciate something related to it."

"Maybe you could make something for her?" Yami suggests. "I mean, I got my mom some earrings she really liked, but I also composed a tune for her."

Yugi scratches his cheek. "I don't know. I'm not sure. Maybe I'll find something in another mall."

So they go to another mall. And then to another one. And then to another one. And they would have gone to another one if not for the fact that it's already dark.

* * *

Luckily for everyone, Yugi thinks, he has everyone's presents wrapped up in pretty paper and shiny bows by the time Christmas Eve rolls around. He decided on getting his mother a new suit: her favorite one was a tiny bit old, and she had mumbled numerous times that she would have to get another one. Yugi saw one at the mall where he went to look for Yami's present, and he realized it was perfect for Amelia.

For Yami, he got a moleskin music notebook. Yami has never had one, which has resulted in him carrying around music sheets and having to put them in a folder. Yugi just hopes his boyfriend likes it.

Christmas Eve arrives, and the Mutou household waits for the Atemu family to arrive. Yugi's dad is a single child, and his mom isn't very much liked by her siblings or parents because she left her hometown to go to college, where she met Aristos. Yami's parents both have siblings, but they can't make it for some reason. So both families decided to spend this Christmas together, since the two boys were so attached to each other.

Yami, Chiyoko, and Mamoru get to Yugi's place just in time for dinner. They leave the presents under the tree the boys decorated and sit down to eat. After they've finished dinner, they go to the living room to wait until the clock strikes midnight to open their gifts. They share silly stories, they play games of questions, they laugh together. It's incredible. Suddenly, Yami goes to look out the window.

"Hey," he says. "Look! It's snowing."

He's right. It has barely started to snow, but the sky still looks beautiful, and Yugi watches as the snow begins to cover the street and buildings outside, absolutely mesmerized. "No wonder it got a little bit colder," he says, shivering a bit, running his hands up and down his arms. Without his noticing, Yami takes off his own coat and is about to put it on Yugi's shoulders, but Yugi pushes it away with a laugh. "Put that back on, mister, or you're going to catch a cold!"

Then the clock strikes midnight.

For the next couple of seconds, Yugi only hears "Merry Christmas!" from everybody around him as he's wrapped up in hugs. Yami's the last one to hug him, and when he pulls away, he cries out that he wants his presents to be opened first. While everyone agrees, their parents suggest that the boys open their gifts at the end. Neither puts up any arguments. Yami gives a present to his mother, one to his father, and one to Yugi. Mamoru receives a book of poems he had wanted for a long time. Chiyoko receives the earrings and a CD with the tune Yami composed for her.

It's Yugi's turn. He hands his father and his mother their respective presents, and he loves the expression on both of them. They thank him and hug him and kiss him with gratitude. Mamoru and Chiyoko give a present to Yami, as well as one to each other. Yugi's parents do the same.

"Open our presents first," Amelia says with a smile. "Then you can open the ones you got for each other."

Yami's parents get him a CD with a collection of some of his favorite piano tracks by his favorite pianists. Yugi's parents give him a beautiful carrousel with his name on it like the toy his father made for him once, except that this one is made out of blown glass. He also sees that Yami's name is written on the bottom, which makes him blush, so he keeps it to himself.

They open each other's gifts afterwards. Yami goes first, and he is fascinated with the music notebook. It's pocket-sized, so he can carry it around everywhere and not miss writing any idea that might come to mind. He leans in to kiss Yugi on the lips before remembering that their parents are present. He kisses Yugi's cheek instead and whispers, "Thank you. I love it."

Yugi opens his present, and he's met by a beautiful sketchbook. "Oh, god," he says. He knows it doesn't seem like a big deal, but sketchbooks for him are like diamonds for most women. They're treasure to him, and he hadn't had one since he had run out of pages on his old one. "It's the same one we saw at the Arts and Crafts store once! You remembered!"

"Of course I did," Yami says. "I, um… actually went back to buy it after you went home."

Yugi absolutely forgets about his parents. He doesn't care, really. He simply launches himself at his boyfriend, his arms around Yami's neck as Yugi kisses him quickly, right on his mouth.

"Thank you," he mumbles. "I love it."

This day has been perfect so far. Usually Christmases are spent with only his parents since his aunts and uncles don't want anything to do with his mom. But now he feels like his family just grew bigger, like Yami and Mr. and Mrs. Atemu are part of his family, and that he's part of theirs.

"Merry Christmas, Yami," he says.

Yami smiles at him and holds him close. "Merry Christmas, Yugi."

This is the best Christmas _ever_.

* * *

_(A/N: MERRY (late) CHRISTMAS!)_


	22. Chapter 22

_(A/N: Short, I know, but I wanted to finish it before midnight strikes here where I live! Half an hour to go! My last update from 2012, and probably in a few weeks, so though it sucks, I hope you enjoy it! HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF MY FOLOWERS!)_

* * *

**Chapter 22**

The first time they spend New Year's Eve together, they discuss marriage. They don't discuss getting married to each other. They just talk about marriage as it is.

Since their Christmas was incredible, both families decided to also spend New Year's Eve in the same place. They should take the advantage that the two boys lived in the same place and that they could spend the holidays together.

Amelia always prepares dinner, and apparently, it's a tradition that Yugi can never see how she prepares it. She jokes that it's to keep in touch with him once he leaves the house to live at his own place. "I can only hope whoever you marry won't know how to cook so that you call me to ask me how."

"Mom," Yugi replies. "The fact that you think I won't bring my family for the holidays is the silliest thing I've ever heard."

Yami tries not to get too excited about that idea, but he still can't help imagining it, imagining having a family with Yugi and both of them coming back to their parents' for the holidays. Even if it's just the two of them. Maybe they'll get married someday. Yami sure hopes so. Maybe someday they'll have a kid, or two, or three. Maybe they'll see two beautiful twin babies and want to adopt them or something.

He chastises himself for thinking ahead of time. He'll think about all that stuff when his future with Yugi is assured. _If_ it ever comes to that.

"Hey, Yami?" Yugi asks him as they're both looking out the window at the snow falling from the sky outside.

"Yeah?"

"Would you like to go on a walk with me?" he says, a faint blush on his cheeks. "It snows every year during New Year's Eve, and I've always wanted to walk in the snow on this day, but my mother's never allowed me to go outside by myself. Would you mind…?" He doesn't finish repeating the question.

Amelia pops her head out of the kitchen and into the living room, where the two boys are. "My poor child," she jokes. "I have deprived him from the joy of having a walk in the snow in New Year's Eve. Yami dear, would you be so kind to make my son's dream come true?"

Yami smiles to himself. "Sure thing." He grabs their coats and helps Yugi put his on. Then he holds out his arm to Yugi, like a gentleman, as they head towards the door. "Shall we?"

Yugi chuckles before looking down at his shoes. "You're a dork." But he says nothing else as he slips his arm through Yami's and they make their way outside.

* * *

The snow looks absolutely beautiful as it rains down upon them. When they first leave the house, Yugi immediately stops and looks at the sky. It's only a couple of hours until midnight, so the sky above them is already dark and filled with stars and it's incredibly stunning. Yugi lifts his arms up in the air and closes his eyes, the snow falling on his face.

It's the most beautiful picture Yami has ever seen.

"Oh, my god," Yugi says. "This is amazing."

"Yeah," Yami says despite himself. "It is."

Yugi lets his arms fall limp to his sides. Then he opens his eyes, but he keeps staring at the sky. "I know this has nothing to do with the subject," he starts, "but being here got me thinking. Have you ever thought of getting married?"

_Yes,_ Yami thinks. _Yes, I have._ "Um, yeah," he says. "I mean, I'd like to, someday."

"Me too," Yugi says. "What my mom said made me think about my future. About having a family. You know I want to have children, but… getting married is a more difficult deal." He joins Yami again, locking their arms together, and they resume their walking. "Why do you think people get married?"

"I think there's more than one answer to that question," Yami says, his other hand inside the pocket of his coat. "Some people marry for economic benefit. Some others marry because they want to spend the rest of their lives together. Some others marry because they're having a child, and it's kind of an excuse to stay together. I think it depends on the one who's getting married."

"Why would _you_ get married?"

"Well, because I _want_ to," Yami answers, taking a glance at Yugi. "If I get married, it's because I want to tie my life to the one of the person I'm marrying. It's because I love the person and I want to spend the rest of my life with them." _And I really hope that that person turns out to be you. I don't think I could ever love anyone else as much as I love you._ Before Yugi can suddenly read his mind, Yami clears his throat. "Why would you get married?"

"Same as you," Yugi says, looking up at him. "If I ever get married, I want it to be to that special person. That person I want to spend the rest of my life with. I mean, I don't want to marry someone and then have it end up in divorce, you know? I want to marry someone with whom I'll be together forever."

Yugi looks like he did when he was talking about having children; like it's the one thing he wants to do in his life. Yami can't help but wonder if Yugi's thinking about him.

"The snow's getting heavier," he says as the cold starts increasing. "We should head back home."

"You're right," Yugi says while they turn around to go back home. "It can't be long till midnight."

* * *

Dinner is, as Yugi mentions, delicious. Amelia is a great cook, and Yami hopes that someday, he'll call her his mother-in-law.

It's only a few minutes until New Year, so they sit around the television and wait for the clock to strike midnight.

Yugi and Yami hold hands. The countdown begins.

"Ten!... nine!... eight!... seven!"

_What did I like best about this year?_ Yami questions himself.

"Six!... five!... four!... three!"

_That I got to meet Yugi._

"Two!... one! HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

It's all a blur of kisses and hugs as the Mutous and the Atemus wished each other a happy New Year. And while this year was incredibly great, Yami hopes that this new year is even better.


End file.
